The Steam Also Rises
by Demosthenes23
Summary: The Murdoch's honeymoon in Paris. Takes place in S8.
1. Chapter 1

**This will totally happen in the show. Without a doubt. :p**

* * *

Many called it the city of love. And for good reason. Paris had an atmosphere unlike any other. Whether it was in the crowded, spacious streets or hidden away in an ancient secluded spot, an intense feeling of oneness seemed to pervade the very air. Unlike in Toronto, couples were not afraid to showcase their affections for all the world to see, nor was it illegal to do so.* It was as if Parisians were ahead of their time, already embracing a modern minded society that was unencumbered by such strict propriety and impossible standards.

Not that William and Julia had really noticed any of this yet. They had been far too busy with other exploits to pay any mind to the nature of their honeymoon retreat. First they had barely left their cabin during the week long boat trip across the Atlantic Ocean and now they had spent another day in the luxurious suite atop one of the finest hotels the city had to offer. Julia thought it very symbolic. Essentially they had made love for one day of every year they foolishly hadn't been together.

Today was supposed to have been different but unfortunately the weather had changed suddenly and just as they had finished dressing fully for the first time in eight days, a horrid storm had blown in and made venturing out quite undesirable. Still, Julia was determined to visit the Louvre and telephoned down to the lobby to ask for a carriage to be made available. The concierge tried to talk her out of it in broken English as nicely as he possibly could, but she insisted.

Within minutes they were bound towards the century old museum in a leaky cab while pedestrians scattered into buildings and archways in an attempt to get out of the downpour and high winds. William lectured loudly about the various exhibits currently on display. As usual, his extensive knowledge made it seem as though he had personal experience there, but of course he hadn't...not unlike their foray into bed. She had been exceedingly thankful that he was such an avid reader of a variety of materials.

When they finally arrived at the Louvre, a drowned rat of a man rushed down the steps and informed them that the power had been lost and consequently the museum was closed.

"But historically speaking you've been without electricity for much longer than with it!" she yelled through the crack in the carriage door. "Surely we can make do with a lantern or two!"

"Perhaps that is true madame," the mustached man returned. "However, the threat of robbery is much higher without functioning alarm systems. As such, no one is allowed in. I'm sorry."

Julia's mood quickly soured at the prospect of returning to the hotel woefully uncultured but there was nothing for it.

Back in their now darkened suite, somewhat hot and bothered from the eight floor trek up the narrow stairs, William lit a candle and said very seriously, "How fortuitous I remembered to bring my dominoes with me."

She glared at that comment and watched by the faint light as he retrieved a familiar black bag from their mound of luggage (most of which was hers). It was the same one he had brought with him during their 'scandalous' night at the Queen's Hotel. Julia had thought he was only joking but in that case, as well as this one, he had not been.

Her husband placed the bag on the table in front of her and began removing the ceramic tiles, one by one, in a slow methodical way, a smirk spreading just as slowly across his features. If he kept that up for much longer, she was bound to snap.

Without looking at her he said, "Tell me, Julia, do you recall a case we worked together back in 1896 involving a bordello that had been set on fire?"

She rolled her eyes. "Of course I do, William. It was a rather memorable time for me. Your...friend Miss Weston oversaw the venture. I believe it was rather cheekily called _The Music Academy_."

"That is exactly right. And were you aware that one of the couples interviewed directly afterwards had been only partially clothed at the time of the incident?"

Julia snorted. "Hardly shocking considering the locale."

"Indeed. But the reason for which is not entirely what you think."

By now he had retrieved enough tiles from his damn bag to cover about a third of the table.

"You see, Miss Furlow and her gentleman companion had been in the middle of a rather unusual game of poker when the alarm sounded." William glanced at her finally, reducing some of her irritation. "Apparently they would remove an article of clothing every time they lost a hand, something akin to the pot. The ultimate goal being to render their opponent completely nude, or bankrupt."

Intrigued she said, "How fascinating. I imagine it must have taken a very unique mind to think of combining such abstract elements. Was it of Miss Furlow's invention or her gentleman callers?"

"Miss Furlow."

Thoughtfully, "If Mr. Webster with his taste for a...domineering woman was any indication of the typical clientele of that institution, they were an odd bunch, prone to odd proclivities. Likely Miss Furlow found it necessary to adapt on occasion in order to cater to a wide variety of needs."

The last of the tiles had been placed face down on the table. William smiled as he took the bag away from their playing space. Elemental forces howled against their expansive windows overlooking a great portion of the magnificent urban landscape.

"So, Mrs. Murdoch, would you care to conduct an experiment with me? I think it highly prudent that we determine whether or not such an end result can be duplicated when dominoes are utilized instead of cards. After all, the scientific method requires that all avenues of investigation be explored. Nothing should be left to chance."

"Why I'd be delighted to assist you in this most noble of efforts, Mr. Murdoch," she said with a grin. It came across as a bit ghoulish due to the flickering half light.

"Very good."

They each took their seven tiles and the game commenced. As they discarded more and more of their tiles in silence, the sexual tension in the increasingly warm room grew. Finally William won the first game and he looked at Julia expectantly, and she thought, a little smugly.

"Time for my prize."

She giggled and said, "Are there any rules to the order in which I shed my garments?"

"Not that I'm aware of Julia. The choice is completely yours. However, logic dictates you must begin with something on the outside. Your blouse perhaps?"

Julia kept eye contact with him as she undid the buttons to her blue and white shirt. She fancied that she could see his neck muscles straining to keep his eyes in place. Stifling a laugh, she took off her blouse and lazily dropped it on the lavishly carpeted floor beside her. A rather lacy and exotic corset lay beneath, exposing a large amount of cleavage.

After a quick peek, her husband gulped and then cleared his dry throat. "Well, then...it appears the first stage of our experiment was a success. Hopefully the next phase will be just as fruitful."

"Oh I intend to win this round, William," she said playfully, intentionally folding her arms across her chest and leaning against the edge of the table to further amplify her bosom and distract him.

"We will see about that," he managed after a time, in a rather unconvincing manner.

The tiles were quickly shuffled and a new game began. Soon they were both finding it very stuffy and since they couldn't open the windows or let the storm in to ravage them and their things, they settled for glasses of water.

As she deliberated over her next move she nonchalantly said, "Did I ever tell you about the woman who was sexually attracted to pens?" She had purposely timed the question to coincide with his taking a drink. Not surprisingly he choked on the water.

"Did I hear you correctly, Julia?" he asked after a moment. "You did say pens, did you not?"

"Just so. I once treated a patient who became very easily aroused by them. In fact, the bigger and _blacker _they were,"- William coughed, "the more intense her attraction became. As you can imagine, such triggers were virtually everywhere in the asylum. It became very difficult to keep her under control and attempt to ascertain the root of her strange predilection. Eventually I instructed everyone to use pencils and to keep all pens locked away and hidden."

Julia placed a tile down and didn't continue her narration.

"_And_?" William enquired. "Were you successful in treating her?"

"To a degree," she said with a grimace. "Her attraction to that particular writing instrument was so overpowering and so deeply ingrained in her psyche, that it was impossible to rid her of it completely. However, with hypnosis I was able to lessen the degree of her desire to a more manageable level by partially transferring her attraction to more natural things."

"Such as?"

"Flowers and pies."

"_Julia_," William said annoyed. "Be serious."

"I am, William," she said, holding back a laugh.

"Fine then, if you won't tell me the truth I am going to make you pay."

So saying he rid himself of his last tile and won another round.

"You're out already?" she said, shocked. "But I still have four tiles left!"

"Perhaps if you had spent more time focused on the game and less on trying to distract me with your titillating tale," he glanced at her bosom, "you would have noticed how close you were to losing beforehand." He leaned back in his chair and smiled. "Now, then, don't you have something to show me?"

Julia huffed, took off a shoe and placed it in his palm. His smile soured and then round three began. Again William won and she kicked off her other shoe. They played through several more rounds in intense concentration. Not even the insistent drums of mother nature could disturb their minds. Once Julia was down to just her underwear and William had yet to remove a single piece of clothing - except the hat he had voluntarily extracted from his head upon their arrival back here - she knew without a doubt that something was amiss.

Eyeing him suspiciously she queried, "William Murdoch, are you cheating?"

"Cheating, Julia?" he said, frowning. "A loyal servant of the law? Such a thing would be unconscionable. I'm disappointed in you, wife, thinking so meanly of your husband."

She wasn't buying his act. "You _are_ cheating, aren't you?!"

William simply smiled and she felt like throwing a shoe at him, but both of hers were out of reach now so she couldn't.

"I've been watching you very closely and I can't figure out how you're doing it! But I _know_ you are! Nobody is _that_ lucky!"

His smile grew wider but still he said nothing.

"Fine then," she snapped, "if you won't tell me how you are cheating, I am finished disrobing for you!"

Standing up, she was about to leave the game when he said, "My memory of course. Why else do you think I took my time laying the tiles out?"

_To infuriate me?_

She scowled at him and intended to get dressed but then thought better of it.

Settling back in her chair she said, "I suppose there's only one way for you to make it up to me now." William gave her a confused look and she smiled mischievously. "Take off your clothes, William. And do so slowly."

"All right."

It was funny that only a week ago, he would have been very embarrassed to do this. Now he was more than willing. He started to remove his suit jacket but she stopped him.

"Hold on a moment, William," she said wagging a finger. "Come into the light so I can see you better."

"As you wish."

William took a place a few feet in front of her. "Is this to your liking?"

"Very much so," she replied. "Now strip."

"Strip?" he chuckled as he removed his arm from the first sleeve. "Odd choice of words."

"Do you think so? I think it rather fitting myself...for instance strip poker has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"

Her husband laughed more fully. "You are starting to sound like George."

"Oh my," she said in mock horror, "we can't have that."

_Nor can we have you thinking about your protegee at a time like this._

So far he had only removed his suit jacket and loosened his tie. Excruciatingly slowly he undid the buttons to his vest and very neatly folded it against the back of his chair like he had done with his suit jacket before. She was beginning to get impatient but bit her tongue to stop herself from ruining the moment.

William was an extremely methodical man so of course she expected him to next take off his shirt but instead he bent over after lowering one suspender to his waist and tugged at the laces to his shoes. He was smirking and she figured this was payback for her own strip tease. Socks exposed, he pulled those off too and then stood up erect again, making sure to keep just out of reach.

Next he undid the button to his trousers and let the flap hang open while he worked on the myriad of buttons on his starched white shirt. She found it impossible to look anywhere else but the black void in his pants until he somehow managed to take off his shirt without allowing the last suspender strap to fall down with it. Finally there was only the thin wife beater shirt hiding his intoxicating torso from view. She hoped one day the shirt would gain a new name because the current one was despicable and she hated any kind of association of domestic violence with her own husband.

William hiked the shirt up a little ways like a curtain, exposing his toned stomach beneath and she felt a sharp tightening in her loins. It was all she could do not to jump him and tousle his perfect hair anew when a bead of sweat travelled from his navel and into the darkened depths of his trousers. A second later he had dropped his shirt back down and she was crushed, as if she would never see such a glorious sight again, or hadn't already many times before.

He cocked his head to the side and said, "Look, Julia, the weather is clearing. The Louvre will likely be open soon."

"What?" she sputtered, utterly entranced by the sensual display.

"I know how much you were looking forward to seeing the Mona Lisa." He replaced the second suspender to his broad shoulder and her world continued to crumble. "We should hurry and get dressed so that we can be the first ones to admire her today."

When he did up the button to his trousers she managed to find her voice. "Actually, William, I believe I wouldn't mind waiting until later." She closed the gap between them, fiddling with his suspender straps, snapping one of them accidentally. He winced, but only slightly so that she was unaware of hurting him. "After all, it's been there for over a hundred years." While she gazed into his eyes, she undid that most sacred of buttons and then placed her hand firmly against his slightly damp crotch to make her intent quite clear. Instantly she felt him stiffen and watched as his pupils darkened in response. "What's one more day?"

"Indeed," he whispered, pulling her against him and hungrily kissing her for the first time in hours, though it seemed more like years.

The games were officially over.

* * *

*** I don't know if that's true or not but just go with it.**

**Also, as a joke I basically used two things I've noticed George is infatuated with. Pens and pies.**

**I suppose this is rather tame compared to my other romantic M rated fic but it seems better suited for this area. And I may decide to add to this later. ;)**


	2. Chapter 2

**KTG, yeah the 'family friendly' show that had butts all over the place. In Oprah's voice, "You get a butt! And you get a butt! You're all getting butts!" I can't be the only one who thought that while watching MAN the first time, can I? :p**

**Also, this chapter's a bit nasty. You have been warned. Unless of course you never read these things, then tough cookies.  
**

* * *

The next morning their exquisite erotic adventures came to a screeching halt. She was menstruating, right on schedule. The realization hit her like a tidal wave, leaving her shipwrecked with no hope for rescue. For awhile she had convinced herself that maybe just maybe a pregnancy wasn't completely out of the question. Never mind all of the reasons why it was impossible, all of the things Isaac had told her about her anatomy, all of the damage that butcher had done to her; she had foolishly expected a miracle with William even though nothing had happened with Darcy.

Julia had even fantasized about how it would occur. Her moon time would come and go and the weeks would pass and still there would be no sign of it and they would both know what that meant and be overjoyed at the prospect of bringing a little piece of themselves into the world to love and adore to their hearts content. The child would have her hair and nose but his mouth and eyes and more importantly eyelashes. The child would be the prettiest baby anyone had ever seen and everyone would congratulate them on a job well done but also be secretly envious of everything they had accomplished. Ruby would fawn over the little tyke and be so taken with their baby that she would finally decide to settle down with a nice unmarried man and start her own family. Their children would grow up together and become the best of friends and then too start their own families (separately of course) and provide her and William with bundles of grandchildren...and on and on it went.

Instead she was left with the harsh reality of the situation. If she hadn't conceived after what she estimated to be in the realm of fifty love making sessions, it was never going to happen...ever. She would never carry William's child in her womb and never provide him with the close knit family he had always desired and that he more than deserved.

All of her past misgivings before Buffalo came rushing back to her in one instant and she was almost knocked over with the force of her turmoil. Thankfully she was seated and simply held onto the wall of the water closet as the rampant emotion overtook her, making her completely light headed and seeing stars. Tears were close beneath the surface and she very much wanted to give into her weakness but then another insistent part of her brain told her to snap out of it. Swiftly she became furious with herself for letting such old wounds reopen and promptly sealed them up again with indignation.

_This is supposed to be the happiest time of your life Julia! Stop ruining it! You are in beautiful Paris with your gorgeous husband and everything is perfect! Pull yourself together and conduct yourself like the confident, capable woman you are and..._

There was a knock at the door rudely interrupting her positive affirmations.

"Julia, is everything all right?" William asked quietly.

She wasn't quite sure she trusted herself to speak right then but she had to say something or he would just break the door down in worry.

"Yes, of course," she said as chipper as she could manage. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, you've been very quiet in there and I was becoming concerned."

"I thank you for your concern, William, but I assure you it was quite unwarranted." She fumbled through her toiletries, looking for her pad and menstrual belt.* "I am perfectly fine and will be out shortly."

"Are you by any chance menstruating?" he queried hesitatingly after a moment.

The bluntness and accurateness of the question hit her from left field and she was stunned into silence. Discussing such things openly with the opposite sex or even other women was fairly taboo. She felt herself slipping back into the repugnant black void of despair.

"How did you know?" she choked out eventually.

"Julia, we've been around each other for a long time. And you are usually very regular. I like to think I'm not completely unobservant. I am a world renowned detective after all," he added, trying to lessen the awkward tension that he had created.

She didn't know how to respond so she didn't.

"Julia, I married you because I love you, because I couldn't live without you. Nothing else matters to me. Not as long as we have each other. I stand by what I tried to tell you all those years ago. We can adopt when we are ready."

Overcome with emotion she burst into tears and then burst out of the water closet and embraced her startled husband like her life depended on it. William simply held her, with a hand to the back of her head and let her come back to her senses in peace.

"Feel better now, my dear?" he asked as he cupped the side of her face.

"Much," she said with a small, watery, grateful smile.

"Good," he said returning the gesture.

A familiar trickle was felt down her inner thigh and she realized in all the excitement that she had neglected to 'prepare' herself properly for the day. Before the crimson liquid had a chance to reach the plush carpeting, she hustled back into the water closet and did what needed to be done.

* * *

They spent the majority of the rest of the day exploring and marvelling at all of the wonders at the Louvre. Much like _Bathsheba at Her Bath_, Julia found _Diana Bathing_ to be an exquisite work of art (in fact, the original _Bathsheba_ that they had reclaimed from Sally Pendrick was back on display here!). Any time the female form was shown unabashedly it was breathtaking. There was just something so liberating about seeing women without corsets and makeup, just existing as they were meant to be, not trying to please anyone else or live up to their expectations of beauty.

William had been fascinated by the relics from Persia and Egypt, particularly the Fayum Mummy Portraits. He even went on to tell her at great length about a case he had worked in which a supposed curse was killing the members from an archeological dig one by one. In reality it had just been a delusional man's handiwork.

He had also mentioned a Dr. Bajjali and she could tell by the words he used that the doctor was a woman and that he had greatly admired her. Knowing that this woman had come into his life only about a week after she had left the morgue served to bother her an inordinate amount, even though it was long in the past and he was now hers for all time. Julia knew her monthly flow was to blame for her uncharitable thoughts towards a complete stranger and did her best to focus on the next exhibit.

Other highlights included marble statues by Michelangelo and other Italian masters and of course the main attraction, the _Mona Lisa_. The crowd around her had been rather massive by the time they went to see her and it was a great effort on Julia's part not to bowl everyone over. If William hadn't been there to calm her down, she probably would have.

She was sure that even if she had an entire week just to roam the old palace grounds, she would not be able to get her proper fill of the sheer majesty of the place.

* * *

They went for dinner at a local restaurant. Not surprisingly it was Parisian and served French food, and only that. She had some experience with the menu items from similar places in Toronto. Still, the majority of them were a mystery to her and she looked to William for translation. When he could only be of partial help, they were forced to ask their waiter.

She had been expecting him to be very snooty but instead he gladly answered their questions and then left them to make their decisions. Julia supposed having a restaurant so close to a tourist attraction had its benefits. As she glanced around at the other tables she could tell that about a two thirds of the patrons were foreigners based on clothing alone. Parisian style's for women were much more flamboyant than in Toronto, and generally brighter coloured...and somewhat less modest.

Grenache served to both of them, (William had decided to celebrate as fully as possible during their honeymoon) he raised his glass and said, "Here's to us and our eventful future together."

"I'll drink to that," she replied, clinking glasses and linking her free hand with his.

After a sip she licked her lips and stared at the contents with glee. "Oh how delightfully fruity _and _spicy!" She sniffed the contents ardently. "Oh, oh and is that a hint of cinnamon I detect!?"

She looked to him expectantly and he shrugged. "I'm sorry, Julia, I'm afraid it just tastes and smells like wine to me."

Julia rolled her eyes exasperatedly and shook her head. "William, William, William," she gazed into his eyes, "you have much to learn." She giggled. "How fortuitous for you that I am such a capable teacher."

"I count my blessings everyday."

He gave her such a sultry look that she knew he wasn't just referring to wine tasting.

"William!" she exclaimed and laughed.

He laughed along with her and then they leaned in for a brief kiss. Soon after they were served their meals.

His wife went on and on about how amazing everything was and since she apparently took more of a liking to his dish than her own, ended up eating most of his portion in a rather unladylike way. He simply sat back and marvelled at her enthusiastic and childlike manner and incessant chattering. It amused him greatly that she was always so taken with exotic foods so that it seemed as though she knew far more about them than the people who prepared it for her when in actuality she had little idea of what she was saying. In anyone else, specifically George Crabtree, this quality would serve to annoy him greatly but when it was Julia, and he had libation to relax him, he found it utterly enchanting.

When she noticed him staring at her in awe, she stopped talking for a moment and stared back at him in confusion.

"William?"

He took her hands from across the table and said, "You are so lovely to me, Julia."

"Why thank you detective," she replied coyly. "Frequent reminders are always appreciated." She squeezed his hands. "And I dare say you are the most handsome detective I have ever met."

He lifted one of her hands to his lips. "We should probably head back now if we want to get an early start tomorrow."

She nodded. He asked for the check and paid. Financial matters were no longer an issue between them. As far as she was concerned, all of her wealth was his and all of his was hers. Admittedly his was but a drop in the bucket (especially since she had inherited even more after her father's death) but she hoped he didn't think about that too much, she certainly couldn't care less.

Arm in arm they made their way into a waiting carriage.

* * *

As they undressed for bed, she caught sight of his partially naked form and felt warm, intense stirrings down below. Or more precisely, the need had been gradually building all day but she had been distracted by the Louvre and the sumptuous dinner. But now the desire was reaching a crescendo. It had been less than twenty four hours since they had last made love and yet it seemed like ages ago. Now that she had an incredibly vivid idea of his talents in that arena and the sheer, impossible pleasure he could consistently provide her, it was hard to think of anything else.

How she had survived all those years without that aspect in her life, she would never know. (Though she had loved Darcy in some respects, he had been incapable of pleasing her in the same way). Whatever repression and sense of propriety that had kept her passions chained and bound was no longer present. The chain had been broken that first time her husband had made his wedding vows with his body. There was nothing to keep her in check or reel her in. Nothing to hold her back now...except for her damn monthly courses! Already she was becoming frantic for his touch and there were still days to go! How was she to cope now and for the rest of her life, or at least until she stopped menstruating?

She glared at her now pyjama clad husband and scowled. He appeared completely unaffected by any rampant desires and didn't even seem to notice that she was suffering! Half of her wanted to yell at him for being so inconsiderate and the other wanted to tear his clothes off without his consent and have her way with him like she had fantasized countless times before while they had been courting (and even when she had been married to Darcy). To think that she was back to fantasizing just ten days after marriage to the love of her life was almost too much to bear! Her very soul seemed on fire!

Of course they could still make love in her current state but it would be unsanitary to say the least. All of that blood and unavoidable mess...

The thought quickly quelled any romantic notions she had in mind and she went to bed in a disturbed and irritated manner. However, it quickly became clear that she would not be getting to sleep unless at least _some_ of her needs were fulfilled.

When she turned around to face William, she was surprised to find him watching her keenly. Without a word he moved in closer and wrapped his strong arms around her, pulling her flush against him.

"I've been wanting to do this all day," he said.

The first kiss was nothing special, the second was so deep it left her moaning. That was all it took to arouse him, and knowing she had so much power over him still was an incredible aphrodisiac. All of the lust and need she had tried to keep at bay now came pouring forth and before she knew it, they were mostly disrobed and he was attempting to slid her underwear off.

"William," she murmured around his lips, placing her fingers on his wrist to stay his wayward hand. "We can't."

"Hmm?" he muttered, as his mouth trailed down her neck and ended up between her breasts. She released her grip on him when his hands also glided up her sides like two snakes and attacked her bosom. Julia grabbed the back of his head and dug her nails in. He didn't seem to mind, he never did.

What was the problem again? For the life of her she couldn't remember until his mouth and hands had journeyed all the way down to her navel and he was again attempting to remove her underwear.

"William," she gasped. "The blood."

For a second his movements stilled but then he pulled her underwear a little ways down her thighs and busied himself with sliding off the belt contraption beneath it. If he was disgusted by the pad within or the slightly off scent between her legs, he didn't show it. Instead he simply yanked off his own trousers and settled himself in her.

The usual wetness was magnified ten fold due to her extreme arousal and blood flow. It made everything feel a bit different, made _him_ feel different and caused her husband some difficulty at first. When he pulled back after the first thrust he slid all the way out. William looked so very confused that she couldn't help but release a snorting laugh.

Rather than be discouraged he took a cue from her and grinned. "I like a good challenge."

"Yes, let's hope you can _rise_ to the occasion."

It was only after some repositioning and practice that he was able to make love to her properly, not unlike their first sexual experience together. Her raging hormones amplified everything and she could swear she had left her body momentarily towards the end. When she came back down, she was also pleased to note that her cramping had all but vanished.

Afterwards while she got her menstrual gear in place and changed the slightly soiled sheets, he cleaned himself in the water closet. Clothed in their pyjamas again, they cuddled up to one another in bed.

Before they drifted off in contentment she absentmindedly fiddled with the edges of his shirt and said, "Not that I'm complaining, William, but isn't it against your religion to lay with an 'unclean' woman?"

He chuckled softly. "Mistaken notions by medieval priests." He gazed at her full of love and stroked her messy hair. "I for one could never find you unclean, or anything less than you are."

"Which is?"

"My stubborn, brilliant, beautiful, maddening wife of course."

After each descriptive word he had kissed her shoulder. She smiled and nuzzled into his collarbone. "As I said before, frequent reminders are always appreciated."

"Then I will never cease to give them."

They kissed each other goodnight.

* * *

*** The history of how women dealt with menstruation is rather uncertain. It is not a very well documented thing. However, they definitely had pads since the late 1800's but they weren't stick on things so they had a special, reusable belt that went around the waist to hold another dangly strap thing in place. It wasn't until WWI that some nurses came up with the idea of the more modern disposable pads that we have today, effectively turning it into an entire market. Basically they noticed how absorbent the bandages were and put two and two together. Where would we be today if they hadn't let women tend to the injured? Who knows. Hopefully not still sitting in 'menstrual huts' and bleeding freely. Yuck.**


	3. Chapter 3

**KTG: lol, yeah. The first time I saw that I was so shocked and turned on and then annoyed at myself for falling for such an old trick of theirs. To be fair though, they hadn't done a fantasy sequence in a really long time.**

* * *

They were in high spirits as they travelled to the first of their tourist destinations for the day, Bois de Vincennes. It was the largest park in Paris and was home to a variety of attractions as well as miles and miles of trails for hiking, cycling and horseback riding. When Julia's menstruation was at an end, they planned on coming back here for the express purpose of exploring them.

Their current location was the velodrome, a massive open topped stadium capable of housing 40 000 spectators, or about a sixth of the entire population of Toronto! During the 1900 Olympics, it was the site of most sporting events, (all of the water sports had been in the Seine) in particular the many cycling competitions. As such it held the most interest for William and as they explored the massive track, he took many an identical picture with his new pocket camera (given to him as a wedding present from James Pendrick) while simultaneously spouting off about the various different races and who won what and so forth. Julia was always greatly amused when he became so carefree and childlike and it was this affection more than anything else that allowed her to withstand the myriad of facts and minute details in good humour. One thing was quite certain, she would never need a tour guide as long as William was around.

The velodrome was also the site of the croquet matches and Julia's mind found itself thinking of Emily for the first time in awhile. Her close friend and protegee had given up the chance to compete here two years ago when she forfeited the deciding match against her snooty rival. And all for the sake of preserving George Crabtree's honour! It was a wonder to her that the pair couldn't seem to work out their differences. Then again, who was she to judge? Weren't her and William in fact much worse in that regard? Hadn't they let not one but _two_ Garland's interfere in their relationship? Apparently they were very slow learners, which was ironic to her because it was the general consensus that they were both rather quick witted and intelligent.

She snorted aloud and William stopped his narration and cocked an eyebrow in her direction. She simply smiled and shook her head and he commenced anew, saying something about Louis Bastien and a twenty-five kilometre race. Her husband seemed to be greatly taken with the French man for his accomplishments, even more so than the other participants. For her though, throughout the entire games, the only person of interest had been Hélène de Pourtalès. She was a Swiss sailor who had taken her opponents by storm to become the first female Olympic champion in a traditionally male dominated sport. Unsurprisingly Julia had found a great kinship with this woman and wished to meet her someday. She had a strange feeling that they would have a lot in common.

After several laps around the track, and much inspection of the wooden structure, they took a short carriage ride to Château de Vincennes, a large castle constructed in the 14th century. It was the first castle William had ever been to and as such his boyish excitement was running high again after only a brief reprieve. In fact, the similarities to George's general manner were rather striking and beginning to get a bit irritating.

"Oh ho ho, Julia!" he exclaimed pointing to the ground around the fortress and taking what she estimated to be the twentieth picture that day. If he didn't slow down soon he would be out of film very quickly. "Look at the moat!" He looked to her rapturously. "Do you see it?"

_Hard to miss_, she thought privately.

"Quite the impressive specimen."

"And the gates! Oh my goodness! They are enormous!"

"Yes, dear," she replied, doing her best not to pat him on the shoulder condescendingly.

Yes the castle was impressive but she had been to several during her stays in Prague and Vienna and other European cities, and as far as she was concerned, they were all basically the same. Still, she was doing her best not to quell his enthusiasm, though it was getting more and more difficult with every passing moment. It was only later she realized what the issue had been. On top of her moon time, and the increasingly humid day, she hadn't eaten much for breakfast. That was a sure recipe for disaster! But by reminiscing about their past sexual encounters, she was able to keep her temper under control until they finally sat down under the shade of a large oak tree with classic Parisian fare of buttered baguette and ham from a travelling vendor. The lemonade he sold them was absolute heaven.

Once they had journeyed around the grounds they walked up the many stairs of the keep in order to look out of its centrally located tower. There wasn't a huge amount to see through the small windows here but it was nonetheless interesting to get a bit of an aerial view of the area.

Satiated from their late lunch and back to her previous gay spirits, they strolled through various gardens and ended up at a serene, though somewhat muddy looking lake.

"I believe this is the Minimes," said William, breaking their silence for the first time in awhile. He squinted out across the water. "There's supposed to be remnants of a medieval monastery on one of those islands."

Julia did her best not to roll her eyes. Was there anything he didn't know?

"Do you want to go see it?"

_Another crumbling ruin_? she thought rather unfairly. (the castle had been in pretty good shape considering it's advanced age). No thank you! She'd just escaped the last one!

"Only if you do, William," she said, smiling sweetly.

He raised an eyebrow at that response and frowned a bit. "Or if you'd rather we could simply enjoy the lake itself. I'm finding myself a tad warm."

Only a tad? She was practically burning up! Her decorative hat was doing little to protect her face from the humidity. In fact she was very close to taking it off and tossing it into the lake.

Relieved she said, "That sounds delightful, but my current condition rather precludes the possibility of swimming, not to mention the fact that we don't have any bathing suits with us..." her voice trailed off as she had a flashback to the previous summer when he had naughtily whispered in her ear about wanting to try skinny dipping.

"Julia?" William said, giving her another confused expression. "Are you all right?"

"Indeed, William. I was just..." she shook her head, "never mind."

"Well anyway, I wasn't suggesting we go swimming," he said in an annoying manner. "Just stick our feet in if you'd like."

"Oh, yes of course. Yes, let's do that."

Sitting down on a shaded, grassy bank, they removed their shoes and socks (in her case stockings) and placed their feet in the cool murky depths. Immediately she felt refreshed and much more clear headed. They both sighed in contentment but didn't lean against one another for fear of becoming too warm again.

Some time later William said, "I've been meaning to ask you something, Julia. What do you say to visiting the constabulary tomorrow?"

She smirked. "Feeling home sick already are we?"

"Not exactly," he said with a smile. "We have an old acquaintance in common there and I thought it only polite to say hello. After all, we're not likely to get the chance for a very long time...or perhaps ever again."

Julia furrowed her brow as she tried to figure out who he was talking about. As far as she could recall, William didn't know anyone overseas.

"That depends, William...who on earth are you referring to?"

He blinked in surprise. "Inspector Guillaume of course."

"Inspector Gui...? Oh! That charming french man from a few years back!" William just stared at her. "I wouldn't mind seeing him again," she muttered after her stupid outburst.

"Good."

"But I'm surprised that you want me to come with you. He had a habit of paying me somewhat inappropriate compliments...and kissing my hand far too frequently." She eyed him evilly and played with his lapels. "Aren't you afraid of what might happen if we end up alone together?"

Her husband made a face at that. "Should I be?"

Julia simply smirked and shrugged her shoulders. William sighed.

A sweaty man passed by on a bicycle shortly after this. He said something in French to which William responded by yanking his feet out of the water. She didn't need to ask what that was all about as it was clear as day what the problem was. The bane of all freshwater swimmers. Leeches!

Julia pulled her feet out of the water too and found several suckers on the top and bottom of her feet, as well as the lower part of her legs. She was very thankful now that they hadn't attempted to go skinny dipping. They had no salt with them so she began to frantically try and pry them off but William stayed her hand.

"It would be better if we just let them finish their meal. They'll fall off soon enough."

_But they're so revolting!_ she wanted to whine like a little girl and indeed she had hated them ever since she was a child due to a traumatizing experience at the Ogden cabin. Thankfully leeching was not a common medical practice in America nowadays. For if it had been, she wasn't sure she could have stomached becoming a doctor. The thought of having to touch them on a regular basis made her skin crawl.

Instead she bit her tongue and just nodded. Sure enough in a few minutes they began popping off one by one and she rejected the very strong urge to stomp on them. Their feet and legs were bleeding a bit from the wounds but were not painful. Carefully they used some of the lake water to clean themselves and then put their shoes back on and left.

* * *

Tired after being on their feet most of the scorching hot day, they decided to have a rest in their air controlled hotel room before attempting any more sightseeing. The 'cold coils' that accomplished this feat were brand spanking new technology and therefore only the very rich could afford it.*

"How did we ever survive without such a marvellous invention?" she asked her husband as he stroked her bare arm and they lazily lounged in bed.

"Strength of character I suppose."

She smirked. "William Murdoch's unfailing sense of propriety strikes again!" The face he made made her laugh. She put a hand to his chest. "I must admit that I'm not overly thrilled to return to Toronto and once again be at the mercy of Mother Nature's cruel vices. It's a pity that we can't simply stay here forever..." she gave him what she estimated to be a salacious look, "in this very bed."

"Yes, that is quite the pity, Julia," he replied, eyeing her with intense interest. "I believe it's in our best interests to make the most of our remaining time here."

Julia expected him to attack her now but instead he moved away and pushed himself off the bed.

"William?" she said quizzically and rather disappointed.

"I'm going to the water closet now and I need you to accompany me."

Intrigued she took his hand and he led her into the fairly spacious quarters. Then he turned on the shower, felt the falling water, adjusted the knobs and began to disrobe.

"I like where this is going, Mr. Murdoch," she said, also disrobing.

"I thought you might, Mrs. Murdoch."

"How very prudent," she chuckled, "and thoughtful of you to spare the cleaning staff further headaches."

"Yes, I am a very clever fellow, aren't I?"

They finished undressing around the same time and consequently bumped into each other when they attempted to enter the shower. This brief contact was enough to make her heart race and the anticipation of what was to come made her break out in a large smile.

"After you milady," he said, gesturing, pupils already dilating.

She stepped in and sighed in contentment for the second time that day as the perfect temperature water hit her head and quickly ruined her hair even more than the humidity had done.

A few seconds later she felt his muscular arms wrap around her back. He moved her ample hair to the side and began kissing the sensitive skin of her neck. She leaned into his embrace and felt his increasingly hard arousal against the small of her back. Once his roving hands had felt her up to both their satisfactions, he gently spun her around and then pressed her against the cool tiled wall in order to kiss her properly. The temperature and texture of the wall reminded her of the morgue and all of the rampant fantasies that had taken place there between them.

This served to excite her a great deal and since he didn't seem in a very great rush to pleasure her fully, she somewhat harshly told him to get on with it. William obliged her rather rude request and they made love for the first of many times in the shower. This initial foray inspired greater deviations from the norm as their honeymoon progressed; the most scandalous of which was a vacant kitchen in Versailles!

* * *

That evening they took a pleasant boat tour along the Seine. It was the first real tour they had been on since arriving. While they ate dinner under the open night sky, a jolly French man went on and on about the various buildings and attractions they were passing by. Occasionally William would add even more details for her benefit and once he even had the nerve to correct their host on a minor point! She was vaguely reminded of William's disastrous attempt at staring in a moving picture the previous year. Sometimes he was too exact and analytical for his own good.

One thing was made very clear throughout the hour long voyage, they had barely scratched the surface of what Paris had to offer. Suffice it to say, they would be very busy over the next week and a half before they had to return home.

* * *

***I've taken some liberties here. An early version of the air conditioning units that we are accustomed to was only built for the first time in Buffalo (of all places) around the time of this fic. It wasn't commercially available and definitely not worldwide at that. I've fudged the timeline a bit which is fine since MM does it all the time. I'm looking at you 'talkies'. Also, the term 'air conditioning' was coined in 1906 with the second generation of electromechanical cooling devices.**

**Also, William was soooo close to witnessing the first Tour de France! Unfortunately it didn't start until 1903, or about a year after this fic takes place. I decided not to fudge the dates for this event though. I have to have some principles, right? :p**


	4. Chapter 4

**KTG: Funny you should mention my excellent research skills. You'll see what I mean.**

* * *

William and Julia waited patiently for the desk sergeant to summon the inspector. But when he got to talking on the telephone about a clearly non police matter, they made an executive decision to just find him themselves.

The setup in this station house was different than she was accustomed to, more chaotic and narrow, but at the same time very familiar. And there were still many a constable going about their daily duties, filling out reports, talking to witnesses, etc., but they were doing so in rapid French that she couldn't hope to follow. Unsurprisingly their clothing differed from that of Toronto constables. They wore flat hats with short brims; lighter blue tunics with buttons lining either side of the torso like a horseshoe; white trousers; and various styles and sizes of mustaches. It seemed that every man in the country had that particular bit of facial hair, and she had tried on several occasions to imagine what William would look like with one. As hard as she tried, she couldn't picture it. One thing was for certain, if he ever grew a mustache in his old age, she would promptly dispose of it.

No one seemed to pay them any mind as they approached the inspector's office. Guillaume looked much as she remembered, though his hair was perhaps a bit shorter and his clothes a bit finer. The inspector was clearly in the middle of a drink and conversation with a distinguished looking older man, but when he saw them pass by his windows he hastily excused himself. So it was that before William had even knocked, the inspector was greeting them enthusiastically.

"Ah, mes amis!" he said shaking William's hand with vigour. "Quelle surprise!"

When Guillaume looked her up and down rather inappropriately and then took her hand and kissed it several times, she saw William's expression sour slightly and she had to bite her lip to stop from laughing.

"You are just as beautiful as I remembered," he muttered in his thick accent towards the end of this fawning process. "Maybe even more so."

He stood up straight and faced them with a grin. Glancing to their ringed fingers he said, "I would ask what you are doing here but it is clear as day." He clapped them both on the shoulders. "I am delighted you managed to find your way back to one another. Life is far too short to let love go to waste." Sharing a look with William he said something in French to which William put on a polite though obviously forced smile and also responded in French, somewhat stiffly. It reminded her of the last conversation the two men had had together and she wondered if it was indeed along the same lines.

"How are you liking our fair city?"

"Very much," said Julia. "The food is wonderful, the clothing is beautiful, and the people are charming. I would be quite content to stay here for the rest of my life."

"Then you must!"

Julia laughed. "If only, inspector, if only."

He looked like he had been stabbed. "Please, ma chérie, call me Marcel."

William's posture stiffened a bit more but he didn't say anything.

"If you insist." She glanced sideways at her husband. "Then you must call me Julia as well."

The mustached man in the office had come over to the window and tapped on it. Guillaume made a face and said, "Alas, I'm afraid we must part already. But I insist on taking you to dinner before you leave." It seemed like he was mostly addressing her but it might have just been her imagination. "We still have much to discuss."

"I would like nothing more, Marcel," Julia said.

He grabbed her hand again, kissed it, gave her a forlorn look and went back to work.

William was as silent as the grave as they made their way on foot through the busy streets to the nearby Notre Dame Cathedral. Every year saw more and more noisy automobiles in Toronto, and Paris was no exception. Progress was important but sometimes she wished things would slow down a bit or even revert back to the 'good old days' altogether.

"Well I must say, William, he was just as charming as I recalled."

Her husband forced a smile and mechanically said, "Indeed. Quite the charming fellow."

Pushing her luck she nonchalantly said, "I could be wrong but I thought I detected a note of jealousy in your manner."

"I was _not_ jealous," he said darkly, body stiffening. "I just think his manners are somewhat unseemly."

"Unseemly?" she said. "How exactly?"

"Asking a newly married woman to call him by his Christian name is hardly what I would call proper conduct," he said scowling. "And you did not help matters," he muttered, "egging him on like that..."

She squeezed his bicep affectionately. "You have no reason to be jealous, William. No other man could ever tempt me...not even one with such handsome hair."

William made a face at that comment and scowled deeper.

"So, what exactly did you say to one another so secretly?" She had only managed to pick out a word or two.

"Nothing of consequence," he replied, eyes darting around.

"You're really not going to tell me, are you?"

"No," he said coldly, staring straight ahead.

"Fine then," she huffed. A small part of her knew this was just desserts for teasing him. A larger part was annoyed that he was already keeping secrets from her.

So it was that they were both in a bad mood when they entered the massive church and looked around. She estimated it was at least ten times as grand as the church that they had been married in. William's interest in the building was undoubtedly a combination of rich religious history and divine Gothic architecture. Her interest lay more in the realm of literature. This was the site of the fabled hunchback of Notre Dame! Victor Hugo had described the cathedral so exactly in his novel that she felt as though she had already been here.

As William examined the structural integrity of the building, she crossed the very long aisle and up the stairs to the elaborate organ arrangement where many others already were. After counting the pipes (that were visible) in the area surrounding her for several minutes she gave up. There were simply too many!

The clock struck nine o'clock and almost immediately a deep resounding chime rung through the vicinity. It sounded like it was coming from the direction of the south tower and she half expected to see Quasimodo pop out of the shadows. Once the chiming had ceased, the crowd surrounding the organ's keys dispersed as a clergyman led a thirty year old or so French man there. There was clearly something wrong with his eyes and it didn't take a genius to realize he was blind. She was surprised to find William right behind her when she took a few steps back.

"I believe that man is Louis Vierne. He's apparently remarkably gifted." He gently placed a hand to her forearm. "I suggest you stand further back Julia. This is going to be very loud."

He took her hand and led her back down the stairs and into a middle pew. Before they had reached their destination, Mr. Vierne had struck those first notes and she felt like they had gone right through her, they were so powerful. Since the pipes were situated all along the upper walls of the cathedral, she was quite literally hit with a wall of sound. That's not to say it was unpleasant, because it wasn't once she had become accustomed to it and was in fact exceedingly beautiful and haunting. William continued to hold onto her hand as they listened in awe and were bombarded with musical mastery.

After about ten minutes Vierne stood, bowed in no one's particular direction and then was escorted away by that same clergyman.

"Astonishing."

"Indeed."

"He's blind then?" she queried, already knowing the answer but wanting further details.

"Yes," William said nodding. "He was born with cataracts."

"How dreadful. Could they not remove them?"

"I suspect they tried but found they would grow back again soon after."

"And yet he has clearly mastered his instrument. It's remarkable."

There was a brief pause. He turned to her suddenly and took both of her hands. "Julia, I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to you. I was rather short with you and I'm sorry."

"If anyone should be apologizing, William, it's me. I was needlessly careless with your feelings. It was very mean of me."

They smiled at one another and arm in arm left the cathedral.

* * *

A round about carriage ride later, (in which she pondered an intriguing idea of a mysterious man with a disfigured face who played the organ beautifully) they descended some stairs to reach Porte Dauphine, the first stop on the second subway line of Paris! (the first had been constructed at Vincennes to aid in transporting spectators for the Olympics).* Just like their previous excursion on the metro, William was showcasing childlike tendencies. Trains of any kind fascinated him, and once again he was badgering the conductor with a myriad of questions. Unlike the previous time, William actually asked to see the engine, to which the conductor gave him an emphatic, "Non!" and shooed them out of his car so that he could reverse the route and make his getaway.

They climbed the stairs back up to street level and found themselves on Champs-Élysées. The first thing that immediately grabbed their attention was the gigantic stone archway in the middle of many busy intersecting streets. Even Julia knew that this was the Arc de Triomphe, authorized by Napoleon Bonaparte in order to commemorate soldiers as well as to strike fear and awe into his enemies. Needless to say, he succeeded and they goggled at the immense and ornate archway for several minutes before speaking.

"Breathtaking."

William grabbed her hand and pulled her towards it. "Let's take a photograph of ourselves standing under it!"

They dodged through a multitude of people in order to do so. William retrieved his pocket camera from inside his suit jacket and said something to a passing pedestrian in French. The man nodded, a little too eagerly she thought and held out his hand for the camera. Then they hurried under the Arc, leaning against it side by side. William gave the thumbs up to the helpful man.

Except when they looked over they saw he was nowhere to be found!

"Did he just steal your camera, William?"

William looked furious and was clearly scanning the horizon for the culprit. She didn't see how he could possibly spot the thief amongst all of the hub bub but he did, or at least she assumed he did because he suddenly took off, leaving her in the dust.

She was not wearing shoes that allowed pursuit at that speed so she didn't even attempt to follow. Instead she awkwardly stood there anxiously waiting for her husband to return and feeling completely useless and unlike herself. Just when she deemed it necessary to go look for him, he appeared in the distance. People were parting around him as if he were Moses and they were the red sea.

_What on earth?_

When he was closer she understood why. His coat was torn, he was limping and blood was trickling down his face from various wounds. As she ran to him she saw that both his hat and camera were destroyed and he was holding one in each hand, looking utterly dejected.

"Oh William!" she cried as she embraced him amongst a crowd of interested strangers. He made a whining sound and she promptly released him. "You're hurt. Allow me to examine you."

"I'm fine, Julia," he said wincing, clearly lying. "I just need to sit down for a moment."

It seemed that at least once a year he would sustain great bodily injury. The last time had been when he jumped off a bridge in pursuit of a madman, though it was hard to say who was more insane at that particular moment. In any case it always pained her to see him in such states as if she were physically hurt herself. And as he grew older and more fragile, so too did her nerves.

"I beg to differ!" she said hotly. "It sounds to me like you may have a bruised or even broken rib!"

He waved her off which aggravated her a great deal and instead moved towards one of the many benches lining this area. Along the way she insisted on supporting his sprained ankle.

William slumped down and eyed his broken camera sadly, almost as sadly as he looked at his homburg.

"Do you think you can fix it?"

"It's doubtful. When we were fighting over the camera it fell to the ground and then was kicked into the Seine. A couple on a passing rowboat fished it out for me. Needless to say, all of the photographs I've taken thus far are ruined."

This was only distressing to her in the respect that they had taken some tastefully nude photos of each other and she had been hoping to get a good look at them and potentially hide some in his tie drawer when they returned home.

"I'm so sorry, William," she said resting her head against his shoulder and gingerly taking his battered hand. "It appears James Pendrick's thoughtful gift was too tempting by far." Brief pause. "But there's something I don't understand...were there no police to aid you?"

"Most of this is their handiwork," he grumbled, looking away.

"What?!" she yelped, half jumping out of her seat. "Why would they attack _you_!?"

He sighed. "When the camera went into the Seine I'm ashamed to say I lost my head and tried to throttle the scoundrel. It was at that exact moment the constabulary arrived..." William closed his eyes in consternation, "and I'm sure you can imagine the rest."

Julia was about to hug him again but thought better of it. "I'm going to examine you now."

It wasn't posed as a question and William didn't question it this time. She started with his jaw and made her way down his arms and torso. When she reached his fifth rib he winced and she felt around as lightly as she could to determine whether it was fractured or not. If it was, it was only a minor break. Still she wanted to be absolutely certain so she forced him to go the hospital and get X-rayed.

Thankfully his scan came back clear and after his facial cuts and ankle were attended to, she took him back to their hotel to get some rest. While he was recuperating and after he had fallen asleep from the heroin they had given him to dull the pain, she pinned her hat to her head and marched down to Guillaume's station house.

"Ah, Julia!" he said cheerfully when she stormed into the precinct. "To what do I owe...ma chérie!" he said taking her hands when he saw her stormy expression, "what has happened? And where is your husband?"

"Your foul constables beat him!"

"C'est incroyable! Why would they do such a thing?"

"Because they are idiotic! That's why!"

Many curious constables were watching this display. If any could understand English they didn't seem to show it. "Come into my office, Julia, and we will discuss this matter further." She let herself be led in and sat down. He turned to face her, leaning against the edge of his desk so that he could take her hand again. "Now, please, tell me everything. I cannot bear to see such a lovely woman so enraged and pained."

"Before I do," she said, removing her hand from his grasp, "you will desist in paying me undue compliments and using my Christian name!" Shrilly, "I never should have encouraged it in the first place!"

Guillaume looked like she had stabbed him again but he simply said, "As you wish...Madame Murdoch."

Satisfied, she nodded once, he sat down behind his desk, and she commenced the tale. Afterwards Guillaume gave her a look mixed of confusion and apology.

"Forgive me, madame, but by your very telling, it sounds as though the constables were not at fault."

_Not at fault?! Not at fault!? _

"They beat an innocent man!"

"Innocent? Non, I think not. He tried to kill this camera thief with his bare hands."

"He wouldn't have actually done it! He was just frustrated!"

_Not unlike myself!_

"Perhaps, madame, perhaps, but I'm afraid they were well within their rights to do what they did. It's true they may have been a little overzealous in their actions but they did not know your husband like you do. They could not take any risks from such a violent offender."

"So you aren't going to _do_ anything about it?!"

"Even if these constables were under my command, I would not reprimand them."

_Some friend you are!_

Julia huffed, stood up and said, "Whatever dinner plans you had in mind, cancel them!"

Guillaume's current face reminded her of Inspector Brackenreid when he realized all his good whiskey was gone.

She was savagely pleased.

* * *

***I kind of screwed the pooch on this one and missed an absolutely_ perfect_ opportunity to mention the subway in the previous chapter. So that's why it's kind of awkwardly done here. Better late than never though. :p**

**Anyone else reminded of Pepe la Pew? Doesn't Guillaume remind you of the far too forward French skunk? ****(And yes I know he was portrayed as Italian in France, Barbarama. I wonder why? xD)**  



	5. Chapter 5

Several days passed in which very little happened. William was too out of it to really go anywhere or do anything besides fiddling with his pocket camera. And since she felt guilty leaving him alone, enjoying herself, laughing without him, she didn't, despite his many protests.

"I thought we agreed to make the most of our time here?"

"I'm not just going to abandon you, William."

_Not again._

Mostly she was vexed with herself for not being by his side and putting a stop to the police brutality. An excuse as pathetic as improper footwear could not be borne! She was a resourceful woman, she could have taken them off! When had she become one of those useless women who let the men handle all hardship? When had she turned into something she despised, that she swore she would never be?

_Stupid girl!_ she thought for the hundredth time as she glanced up from her book to find William sleeping in the middle of the afternoon. Again. The bruises on his face were just beginning to fade in the middles so that they were somewhat multi-coloured and much more horrible looking than they actually were. Still, she found herself unconsciously wincing.

Since it was impossible to focus on her book any longer, she put it aside, stood up from the comfortable chair across from the bed, (the same one she had admired her husband's physique from as he stripped for her) and went out onto the balcony to take in the magnificent urban landscape. Julia had specifically asked for a room with a scenic lookout and she had not been disappointed. Practically every morning she would find herself contemplating the sheer immensity and elegance of the iconic Eiffel Tower. They had planned on going there that horrible day by the Arc, but then things took a turn for the worse and now she wondered if she would ever get to see the view from the tallest building in existence. She wasn't afraid of heights, never had been and had taken great delight in going on many a hot air balloon ride. Every time she took to the sky she felt invincible, like the whole world was her kingdom and anything was possible. Judging by the Tower's ever increasing popularity, many agreed with this sentiment.

Her eyes trailed the surrounding area for something of interest to entertain herself with. There were some young boys laughing in their carefree way, running wild, almost causing collisions of the smelly automobiles in the narrow side streets; a pair of French men openly holding hands in public - even for Paris that was quite the novelty and she hoped they didn't get into trouble for it; a man and woman enjoying each others company behind closed doors but neglecting to draw the curtain - she was ashamed to say she watched them for much longer than she should have; and just down below at the end of the street here, approaching her, waving, was...

"Ruby!" she exclaimed.

"What's happened!" yelled William, jerking awake. "Is it Gillies again?" he asked stupidly, still half asleep and drugged with heroin but looking quite formidable. He swept back the blankets and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Then he fell backwards and raised his fists towards the ceiling. "Let me at the fiend! I will make short work of him!"

Julia stifled a laugh and went over to him, lowering one of his outstretched arms. "Ease your mind, William. That devil is no longer with us."

_My sister has taken his place...What a horrible thing to think, Julia!_

Her husband seemed reassured and promptly dozed off. Not wanting to wake him again, she left the hotel room and headed down to the lobby. The elevator doors opened and there stood her sister, smiling in her annoying way, like she knew secrets that no one else knew, probably she did.

Julia sighed internally, plastered her own smile on her face and stepped out to embrace her.

"Hello, Jules. Fancy meeting you here."

Even married (again), her sister still insisted on that juvenile nickname. Perhaps because her sister had never grown up herself.

"I believe that is my line, Ruby." They parted. "What on earth are you doing here?"

_I just saw you two weeks ago!_

Ruby examined her gloved fingertips. "About a week after you left for your honeymoon, I received a most urgent assignment in Paris."

_If that is true, I highly doubt you were __given__ the assignment. More likely you __asked__ for it knowing full well it would aggravate me to no end._

"Which was?" she asked, highly sceptical.

Her sister glanced up. "Have you ever heard of George Méilès?"

"No, I can't say that I have. Who is he?"

"A very talented and prolific creator of moving pictures. In the last six years he's made some three hundred films."

"How is such a thing possible?" she said, taken aback.

Ruby waved the comment away. "Oh most of them are of no consequence, Jules, just silly little works of art showcasing his magical abilities. But I have it on good authority that his next film will be taking the world by storm and therefore it is imperative that I get the scoop on it."

_And __him__, no doubt._

"And when is this universal moving picture to be released?"

"There's no date set as Monsieur Méilès is still working on it. Likely some time in August."

"Ruby that is still weeks away. Surely you did not need to come here quite so quickly?"

Her sister smiled sweetly and looked her directly in the eyes. "If I didn't know any better, Jules, I would say you weren't happy to see me."

Slightly flustered, "No of course not, Ruby, it's just that..."

"Have no fear, sister. I don't intend to intrude on your honeymoon. I simply deemed it necessary to make myself known. And I do enjoy Bastille day. The French always put on a good celebration. I remember the last time-"

She had quite forgotten about that. "That's tomorrow, is it not?"

Ruby laughed. "I see the good detective has made you lose track of time." Ruby looked past her, towards the elevator. "Where is your strapping husband anyway? Most unlike him not to greet me."

Julia glanced away. "William has taken ill."

_Why was she lying?_

"How unfortunate," Ruby said, eyeing her in a such a way that made her think she didn't believe her. "Still, I should very much like to see him."

"I'm afraid that's not possible at the moment," she said hastily, thinking of the bruises. "He's currently resting."

That at least was truthful.

"Well, then," Ruby said linking arms with her, "would you mind accompanying me to The Champs-Élysées? It's been ages since I went on a good old fashioned shopping spree in Paris."

_Of all the places she could possibly choose! Did she somehow know what had happened?_ Then Julia got a hold of her emotions and realized her sister had simply chosen that particular area because it was the most celebrated for such things, and indeed a few days ago she had been looking forward to the venture.

"I would love to Ruby, but I can't leave William alone."

"Is he that gravely ill that he needs constant attention?"

"Well, no, but-"

"Then it's settled! You shall come with me! It appears you are in dire need of some fashionable attire!" Julia glared at her. "Oh you know what I meant, Jules. There is not a single French piece of clothing on your person. I can't abide that any longer!"

"All right," Julia said with a sigh, knowing very well that her sister would never relent.

After leaving a note for William, Ruby whisked her away for some much needed frivolity and diversion. They visited many an elegant store and tried on many an item of expensive clothing. Julia's tolerance for such an activity had never been very high, (it was part of the reason she acquired her tom boy nickname) and her sister knew this very well but kept pushing her to go to yet _another_ establishment.

"Ruby, I am quite exhausted," she said, a distinct edge to her voice. If she had still been menstruating, she probably would have throttled her sister. "I don't think I can stand a moment longer."

"That's all right, Jules, you won't need to."

Ruby pulled her into a very large, very regal building with an elegant, though eye catching hand proclaiming itself _Guerlain_ and deposited her in a divine purple couch. Even before they went in she knew exactly the type of product they sold. Much like her tongue (with the delicious fare), and later her ears (with the organ playing), so too was her nose being beguiled by a variety of scents. They were all competing for her attention so that she didn't know where to look first.

Rows and rows of various sized perfume bottles lined the walls, there were smaller displays on circular tables scattered around, and women, many, many women in rapturous fits of glee.

In a bad mood she thought, _My goodness. It's just perfume._

With the help of a pretty saleswoman, Ruby proceeded to ply her with all sorts of perfumes, most of which were too strong for her liking.

"I'm almost certain you will like this one," her sister said, holding out a rounded rectangular bottle with a large and bold emblem on the front declaring it _Jicky_. There was an amber liquid within. She wished it was whiskey.

_Jicky?_ she thought. _What kind of an absurd name is that?_

"It's a classic, Jules. Go on, take a sniff."

The saleswoman gave her an eager nod, so she sighed internally again and lifted the stopper.

Julia took a tentative sniff. It wasn't too terrible so she took another. It smelled of lavender and vanilla and was somewhat similar to the perfume she currently wore. There were other hints of things, but she couldn't quite place them.

Their helpful helper helped some more. "It contains oakmoss and coumarin. C'est très jolie. All the women, and even many men want to wear it. It's our most popular fragrance. Your husband will love it."

_Actually, William doesn't give a rats behind about that sort of thing. I don't think anyway...I'm not sure. Why don't I know that?_

In any case she wanted to leave so she smiled and said, "Yes, I believe he will."

With the perfume in hand, they made their way to their well stocked carriage. Their driver had been following them around all day so that they didn't have to carry any of the often heavy parcels.

_Poor fellow. At least the weather was nice._

A few bellboys brought her items up to her room. She tipped them and then turned to her sister and said, "Thank you for the outing, Ruby. It was a nice distraction."

She could have slapped herself for her slip.

"Distraction?" her sister said looking at her curiously. "What did you need to be distracted from?" Julia was standing with her back to the door, not wanting to open it. Ruby of course picked up on her tense body language. "What's happened to William? And don't feed me that line about him being sick."

"I- I don't know what you mean," she said looking away.

"I know you were fibbing before. I can always tell you know. I don't know why you insist on trying to fool me. You're a terrible liar. So once more, what's happened to your husband?"

"There was an altercation..." she sighed, "it's easier if I just show you."

Julia retrieved her key and let her sister in. William was propped up in bed fiddling with his camera again. It almost looked like a camera again.

"Ah, Julia," he said, more chipper than he had been in awhile. "Excellent news! I've managed to-"

Ruby moved out from behind her and he abruptly changed demeanour. It wasn't because he was surprised, she had told him about her sister in the note, but rather because neither of them really wanted her there.

"Good evening, William."

"Ruby."

Her sister shook her head as she approached the bed. Ruby was unfazed by his appearance. "I simply don't understand how such an intelligent man always seems to be injured."

"Yes, well..." he muttered, glancing away, looking embarrassed.

Ruby cocked her head over her shoulder, "How could you let this happen?"

And there it was. That was the exact reason she hadn't wanted to tell her sister. She didn't need someone else pointing out her inadequacies as a caretaker. She felt bad enough as it was.

Almost immediately William came to her defence. But the words he chose only served to hurt her more. "Julia had nothing to do with this. I brought this upon myself."

"Do tell."

He did. And while he did, Julia brought in her parcels and stacked them on top of their strip domino table.

Ruby tsked. "You appear to be in good spirits. I'm glad you're feeling better."

"As am I," he said with a warm smile.

Her sister glanced between them and gave her a private wink. "Well, I should leave you to it."

Julia remained by her mountain of things, most of which had been forced on her by Ruby. William looked over at her after Ruby had left.

"I see you had a very fruitful outing."

"Oh, yes, very fruitful," she offered with a fake smile.

"Is something the matter?" he asked cautiously.

"You mean besides my sister intruding on our honeymoon?" William gave her a pointed look and she sighed. That seemed to be all she was doing lately. "My carelessness led to your current condition."

"How so?" he said, apparently confused. This annoyed her.

"I should have warned you about the camera thief! I had a hunch that he might try something but I said nothing! And then I didn't even _try_ to assist you after he stole it! I'm a terrible wife!"

"You are anything but that, Julia. You couldn't possibly have known the direction events would unfold. I certainly didn't. Therefore I forbid you from chastising yourself any longer."

_He forbids me? How dare he tell me how to feel!_

Her head whipped up angrily to find him smiling. Clearly he had said that on purpose to get a rise out of her.

_Dammit! Am I that easy to manipulate?_

Instead of responding, she skulked in a stupid manner. William frowned and pushed himself out of bed with a groan. Slowly he came to her side, holding his side and back.

"Julia, look at me."

She would not.

"Please."

She relented.

He gestured to his face. "This was not your fault." He took her hand and squeezed it. "I need you to believe that." He kissed her hand. "Can you do that for me?"

Julia huffed. "Oh I suppose so...if you insist."

"Thank you," he said, giving her a short kiss. She hugged him gingerly for a time. When they parted he said, "Have you eaten yet?" She shook her head. "Me either. Might I suggest room service?"

"That would be lovely, William," she said with a grateful smile.

"Good," he said, holding the sides of her face, giving her another kiss; this one deeper than the last. She could sense the beginnings of sexual excitement just beneath the surface. They hadn't been intimate in days, which was the longest they had managed to keep their hands off one another after that first time. He had been in no condition for such a thing and she had been afraid to hurt him even more than she already had.

"William," she breathed out afterwards, "as much as I'd like to, I don't think we should. I don't want your back to give out on top of everything else."

"That only happened once, Julia," he muttered, taking some offense. She hadn't meant to give any but rather had simply been stating facts. "And only briefly at that."

She put a hand to his chest. "Perhaps tomorrow would be more suitable?"

The face he made quickly gave way to a mask. "Fine. What would you like for dinner?"

_You__ of course but we can't...or can we? _

He had figured out an easy method to deal with her moon time, so why couldn't she solve the dilemma this time?

Then it hit her! How stupid could she be? If his back was the problem then she just had to make sure it stayed supported.

Apparently a change came over her face because he looked at her quizzically and said, "Julia?"

She took his hand and led him to their bed. She removed the camera parts and tools and instructed him to lay down. Then she shed her constricting and heavy corset, as well as her other garments, removed her hair pins and straddled him.

"I like where this is going, Mrs. Murdoch," he said huskily, eyes shining lustfully.

"I thought you might, Mr. Murdoch," she replied, echoing their conversation before their last sexual encounter in the shower.

She undid his pyjama top and gently ran her hands up his bruised torso until she reached his toned pectoral muscles. His nipples hardened after she rubbed them just a few times with her thumbs. Then he tried to grab her towards him and assert control.

"Be still, William," she coaxed. "Doctor's orders. You _will_ let me pleasure you tonight. Can you do that for me?"

"Oh I suppose...if you insist."

"I do," she said with a slight smile as she leaned over to kiss his navel area. His breath hitched. "I really do."

She slunk lower on the bed and pulled his trousers down part way. She glanced up from that pouncing position and made intense eye contact. He looked more than ready to misbehave. "Now stay still." His face soured momentarily but he nodded.

Julia leaned over and took him in her mouth, all of him. His body shuddered slightly and he gasped, but he stayed still. This was only the second time she had ever done this to him. He was always far too worshipful of _her_ body to even give her the chance. By comparison, she had never done this for Darcy in an entire year of marriage (she didn't count their separation in that assessment). She had never wanted to. But William, William, she would do anything for.

"Oh God," he moaned sacrilegiously, grasping the sheets tight, as she added some vigour to her ministrations. "Oh dear Lord."

When he was ready and it didn't take very long even considering his older age, she carefully crawled up on his lap and lowered herself on to him. Both their eyes rolled back at this initial contact and they just savoured the feeling for a few moments. Whereas previous times in this position she would have let herself go, this time she did her best to maintain control. It was very difficult but her exhaustion from all that shopping aided in this endeavour and she managed to simply rock back and forth, gently easing them towards the peak of the mountain and a wondrous sense of completion.

She snuggled up to him afterwards, just listening as his heart rate relaxed.

"Did I hurt you at all?" she drowsily asked, eyes half closed.

"Not in the slightest. You were very able bodied doctor. And your medicine was unusually potent. I believe I will make a full recovery, and sooner than expected at that."

When she didn't respond he looked down to find her sleeping. He smiled, kissed her forehead and joined her.


	6. Chapter 6

There were hordes and hordes of people. Their combined clamour was incredible. It was far more than anything she had ever witnessed before in Toronto and therefore a bit overwhelming. Men, women, children; they were clogging up streets to such a degree that no carriage or automobile could hope to pass through. Not that anyone needed to be anywhere. Today marked only the twenty-second Bastille Day. Julia was surprised by such a low number considering that the reason for this celebration took place over a hundred and twenty years ago! Apparently it took the French bureaucracy about a hundred years to decide to make the storming of Bastille and the unity of their people an annual event and holiday.

Blue, white and red flags were everywhere. They lined every window of every building down the street for as far as the eye could see (which admittedly wasn't very much for the aforementioned reason). Still the little she could see was dazzling and she was doing her best to focus on their frantic flapping but finding it difficult. With so many bodies (most smelling nice) pressing in on her, she was starting to feel claustrophobic, and the beginnings of a long ago terrifying memory were threatening to break through the surface of her subconscious mind.

William cocked his head in her direction. He was wearing a black beret that she had cajoled him into trying on earlier that morning. She had thought he looked very suave in it so he had purchased it in temporary replacement of his coveted homburg. And for awhile after that he had plied her with compliments in French until it had aggravated her and he stopped.

"Julia, are you all right? You're hurting my hand."

In order to prevent separation, they had decided to hold on to one another, like little children often did. Indeed, like the leeches before, she was feeling like a child; scared for no discernible reason, wanting nothing more than to run and hide.

"I was just thinking, William," she said, trying to keep her voice level, "we would be able to watch the coming parade much better from a different vantage point." She pointed with her free hand and just about knocked off the flamboyant hat of the large lady in front of her. "Perhaps over on that hillside?"

He gave her a pointed look but said, "That seems like a fine idea."

And so they commenced pushing their way through the masses, receiving many a dirty look until they finally broke free on the other side. Julia took a deep breath and said a silent thank you to the universe for allowing her to maintain her composure on their first outing together since that fateful day by the Arc.

A few other intelligent people had gathered on the same hillside but they were spaced out enough that she could easily stretch out on the well kept grass and still have plenty of room between them. A suffocating weight had been lifted and now she was sure to enjoy the marching of the military parade. From such a distance away, they probably wouldn't be able to hear or see the band that easily but she was more than all right with that. She just hoped she hadn't ruined the event for her husband.

When she looked over at his now reclining form it was to find him watching her keenly. Julia tucked her skirts under her rear end and sat down beside him, hoping he would let this matter lie. William opened his mouth to speak when someone to the East of them yelled something in French. Instantly his attention was diverted towards the faint drumming in the distance. If they could hear the drumming from this far away and over the sea of noise, then it must be monstrously loud.

"How many drummers do you think there are, William?"

"I estimate there to be at least fifty. That number coupled with the current Westerly wind speed of approximately twenty- two miles an hour and admirable acoustics of the enclosed street would allow us to hear them."

She shook her head and smiled. He was looking at her again and she knew it wouldn't be long before he started asking questions. "It's a pity we can't see the parade yet."

William observed her thoughtfully for a few more seconds and then he stood up and approached an elderly man peering at the formal proceedings through binoculars. They conversed for several minutes, during which time the man repeatedly shook his head. William said something else and the unattractive man looked over in her direction. Then he smiled (which conversely made him even more unattractive) and gave the binoculars to William.

"How did you get him to give them to you? It doesn't look as though he was eager to part with them."

"It was a simple enough matter." William gave her a mischievous smirk. "I just told him that my wife would be more than willing to share a dance with him at the ball tonight."

"You what?!" she said a little incredulously, glancing at the elderly man again. He was smiling still in her direction. He had the appearance of a greedy toad. She looked to her husband. "William, be serious."

His grin widened. "I am, Julia. Monsieur Gaston will be attending the same ball as us. It's been years since someone accepted his hand. Naturally he was thrilled when I offered yours."

Julia made a face and crossed her arms. "You could have done me the common courtesy of consulting with me first _before_ presuming to speak for me. We may be man and wife now but that does _not_ give you right to trade me off like cattle."

"It was your idea to come over here was it not?"

"Well, yes, but-"

"And you wanted to see the parade, did you not?"

"Well, yes, but-"

"So, I did what I had to do in order to achieve that end." She continued to ignore his eye. "It's only one dance Julia. What's the harm?"

"Oh, nothing, I suppose. It's just I've heard tell from my sister that older French men can be quite...hands on." She glared at him. "And if Ruby is saying it, you can well imagine my concern."

William frowned and tried to take the binoculars back but she kept them just out of reach.

"I hope you enjoy watching us together," she said sweetly. "I'm sure we'll make quite the spectacle."

"Julia, give those here," he said, lunging at them again, falling over her lap. "I've changed my mind!"

"A deal's a deal, William. Only scoundrel's go back on their word. I'm afraid you'll just have to divert your eyes if you see something not to your liking."

It was William's turn to make a face. He glowered in the direction of the parade. Satisfied that she wouldn't have to fend him off any more, she raised the binoculars to get a better look. The parade had proceeded some distance down the street. A man wearing blue military clothing and a ridiculous pointed black hat with a red feather poking out the top led the charge astride a large white horse. He was holding an unsheathed sword in one hand and a French flag in the other. Almost directly behind him but not quite (for the horse was currently leaving a trail of feces behind itself) were all the drummers they had heard many minutes ago. They were dressed in a similar manner to the gentleman on the horse but their clothing was not nearly as striking; they had no chains across their breast and no hats that demanded one's immediate attention. Behind the drummers were soldiers with various brass instruments, of which her ears were just beginning to take note of. And behind them, well, she couldn't see yet, if indeed there was anyone else to see.

Once she had had her fill of the parade's proceedings, she handed the binoculars over to William. At first he wouldn't accept them but eventually he relented and soon began to tell her a myriad of details about the French military, all the while the music became louder and louder so that she could finally hear it clearly towards the end of his lecture.

Soon after, she returned the binoculars to Monsieur Gaston and tried not to flinch when his shrivelled and warty skin brushed against hers. He took her hand and kissed it, proclaiming her a beauty. She smiled and went back to William, certain she could feel Gaston's eyes boring into her back.

Her husband held out his arm, she hesitated before taking it and they made their way to lunch in silence.

* * *

Tensions between them evaporated when they came across some traditional entertainment in a large stone courtyard not far from the café they had eaten at. The first thing that grabbed her attention was the numerous male and female dancers garbed in old fashioned attire from the early 1800's. A quartet played an unfamiliar, lively waltz while they twirled around in unison. Their clothing was colour coordinated to that of the nation's flag, creating a delightful blur of sensation. For several minutes she stood there mesmerized by this and their elegant movements. It had been far too long since she attended a ball herself and she was looking forward to the evening all the more now, even taking into account certain promises that must be fulfilled.

Coming out of her daze she asked William the name of the waltz but for once even he was none the wiser. One thing was for certain, it had her humming along after a minute, swaying slightly.

Eventually her attention was directed towards a very iconic form of Parisian entertainment. Off to the side was an incredibly slender mime dressed all in black with white face paint and gloves on. He was so insubstantial that when turned sideways he almost disappeared! She wondered if he was naturally like that or if he was struggling to make a living and therefore eat regularly. Of course, she couldn't very well ask him so this was a mystery that would not be solved.

They joined the circle of laughing people as the mime pretended to be crushed by some large, unseen force from above. The exaggerated faces he made were quite comical and soon she was joining the rest in their merriment. William just looked vaguely intrigued. No doubt he thought this very strange and silly entertainment.

Once the mime had sufficiently squished himself to the ground, he played dead for awhile and then slowly rose upward, contorting himself bizarrely as if he really had just been crushed. She suspected he was double jointed. When he was all straightened out many people clapped, including herself. The mime gazed around at the mostly gay crowd and then seeing an unamused William, directed his next effort for her husband's benefit.

The mime pretended to throw a lasso around him and then tug him in. William didn't play along and just stood there with a raised eyebrow. The mime rubbed his hands and blew on them as if they were cold, then he took a step forward and slipped on some invisible ice. Afterwards he knelt, and made a snowball and threw it at William. She nudged him with her elbow but he just stood there stupidly and would not participate. She rolled her eyes.

No matter what the mime tried, William would not laugh. For a second she thought the frustrated man might break character and yell at her husband but instead he simply made various sad faces and left William alone. The mime was a true professional, she certainly would have snapped. An annoyed William looked in her direction and they left the courtyard. On the way out they were offered some sort of sweet treat by a vendor but they both declined, still full from their previous meal.

They walked around for a bit, just enjoying the day and the sounds of joy everywhere, when they spotted a familiar gigantic Ferris wheel in the distance. Today seemed like the day to take a ride. So without further ado they headed towards the Grande Roue de Paris. William had previously informed her that it was built for the Exposition Universelle in 1900, which was the backdrop to the Olympic games. All sorts of innovations and new technologies had been on display and probably some of them still were.

Not surprisingly there was a long line to get on the Ferris wheel. She asked him how his back was faring and he replied that it was fine. As far as she could tell he wasn't lying which meant he had healed considerably since the previous night. Momentarily she flattered herself into thinking her physical talents had brought on such improvement.

After another half an hour of baking in the unrelenting sunshine, it was finally their turn to take a ride. The passenger cars were enormous and far more than just the two of them needed. But they were designed for only two and she didn't exactly want to share the cabin with another couple, so she wasn't going to complain.

William went in first and held out his hand to her in order to help her in. Since they were the last couple to be loaded, the wheel began to spin soon after without interruption. Higher and higher they rose, and higher and higher went her excitement. She clasped William's hand and they smiled at each other as the machine reached the peak of the loop.

The view from up here was magnificent, and surely only to be out done by the Eiffel Tower itself. A hundred feet above all the noise and smell from the multitudes below was also quite charming for her.

Suddenly there was a slight mechanical jerk and her heart raced for a few seconds. Then the wheel stopped all together and her heart raced anew. They shared a brief worried look and then William began pointing out various landmarks to her.

After several minutes she jokingly said, "Wouldn't it be terrifying if they couldn't get it started again?"

"Let's hope that doesn't happen, Julia, or I have no idea how we would ever get down. I don't believe there are protocols in place for such a rescue."

She squeezed his hand and gave him a salacious look. "I'm sure we could find ways to keep ourselves occupied until one was discovered."

He cocked an eyebrow and returned the look. "Such as?"

Julia ran a hand up and down his upper thigh and gave him a little squeeze through the fabric.

"Julia!" he yelped. "There are people everywhere!"

She snorted and leaned in, kissing him along his jawline, before descending to his jugular like a vampire. "No one can see us from up here, William. There's nothing to worry about."

Then she put her hand down his trousers and continued to caress him. Julia expected him to put an end to her fondling of his nether region but instead he returned the favour and stuck his own fingers up her skirt! Skillfully he blindly found his way through the many layers of fabric until his thumb was rubbing against her sweet spot in a tantalizing way. She shuddered against him and they continued pleasuring each other in an increasingly unrestrained way, the need for more intimate coupling growing stronger with every second.

Just when they were about to make love right there in the open air, the Ferris wheel began to move and with this motion, a portion of their senses returned to them. They shared a lustful, panting look and groaned with disbelief.

"Maybe we still have time to finish what we started?" she said hopefully, eyeing the pronounced ridge through his trousers.

"If past experience is any indication," he said in a husky manner, "I highly doubt that Julia."

In great agitation did they wait for their trip to come to a conclusion. The second the wheel stopped at ground level, they rushed off amidst many curious glances and found their way to an empty room in one of the surrounding world fair buildings.

Then they finished what they started.

* * *

A lengthy rest later in their air controlled hotel room, they began preparations for the annual Bastille Day ball. Murdoch did not have much primping to do besides allowing Julia to add some makeup to his face to hide the bruises, and therefore he was ready to go before Julia had even gotten into her dress. He sat at their strip dominoes table drumming his fingers, trying to keep himself from falling asleep again.

Finally she emerged from the water closet and her exquisite beauty took his breath away. His wife's hair was done up in an elegant, though unusual way for her. He recognized it as a common hair style of Parisian females. Somewhat dangling black earrings were on full display and swayed with her every movement. She was wearing a hint more makeup than she usually did, with lips so lusciously painted he wanted to kiss them forever. The gown must have been one of the new dresses she had purchased on her shopping spree with Ruby. It was an emerald and black affair that had a slightly twisted pattern along the waist making her look even thinner than usual. The bosom was less modest than any dress he had seen her wear before, including the infamous red one that glorious New Years eve night. And she smelled heavenly, there was a lavender perfume emanating from her person that was oddly enticing. All in all, it was a great effort not to undo all of her hard work.

"You're staring, William," she said, smiling in a self satisfied way. "It is most uncouth."

He cleared his dry throat and still staring said, "Forgive me...I find it hard to look away." He stood up, took one of her gloved hands in his and kissed it. "You are absolutely stunning, Julia. You have truly outdone yourself."

Her eyes shined playfully as she fiddled with his white bow tie, "Are you saying I am _more _stunning than on our wedding day?"

Murdoch knew she was just teasing him so he didn't fear any hidden traps. "That is impossible. No one has ever beheld such a beautiful bride as I." He let his eyes fall to her bosom again. "But this dress suits you very well."

She laughed. "Come along then, William. We must hurry or we will surely be late!"

* * *

**In case you were wondering why the parade didn't take place down The Champs-Élysées, well, that's because it didn't take that route back in 1902. It wasn't until 1919 that they started going down the Champs. This was due to an agreement made at Versailles after WWI. Before that it was at various locations in and around the city...so I didn't specify in the fic for that reason.**


	7. Chapter 7

They found themselves at a grand hall belonging to a well respected French nobleman. The tall, lithe fellow greeted them congenially, even though he couldn't possibly have known who they were and gestured for them to enter the ballroom. Up a multitude of steps they heard music and laughter and then saw the many dancing couples that produced it.

Murdoch was vaguely reminded of the traditional dancers from the afternoon. But whereas they had been colour coordinated, no one here was, save for the occasional individual pair. Many of the women were dressed like Julia, like most French women here, which is to say somewhat immodest. Strangely, the longer he found himself in Paris, the less he seemed to mind and avert his eyes.

The string ensemble was much larger than the one in the courtyard and comprised of fifteen stringed instruments; six violins, five violas, two cellos and two bases. This larger number was absolutely necessary to fill the immense space of the ballroom. He estimated it to be about two thirds of the size of the velodrome where most of the Olympic events were held.

"How magnificent!" Julia exclaimed, glancing up the sloping walls to the many extravagant chandeliers some thirty feet high.

"Indeed," he replied.

On either side of the dancers were many round tables, elegantly set, and behind those way stations for weary dancers were tables and tables full of food; oysters, soups, lots and lots of bread and wine; with servants waiting to assist if necessary. The vast collection of sweets caught his eye even though he wasn't prone to indulging. They were just so tantalizing that he found himself staring. The clafoutis in particular made his mouth water.

She caught his eye and said, "Well, detective, don't you have something to ask of me?"

"Yes, of course," he said with a smile. "Would you care to da-"

Murdoch caught sight of the elderly man from the hillside and groaned internally.

_Maybe he won't see us? After all, his eyesight is rather poor. _

Almost as if Gaston heard him, he smiled in their direction and hurried over. Murdoch was certain he had been waiting near the top of the steps for this very purpose.

_Smart man. Unattractive but smart._

"William?"

"Julia," he muttered, "forgive me."

A moment later Gaston was by their sides, saying how delighted he was that they agreed to this. Murdoch forced a smile and then very begrudgingly handed his wife over to the warty fellow. As the old man lead Julia to the dance floor, she looked back at him, as if imploring him to save her. He clenched his fists tight and gave her another apologetic look.

He watched them like a hawk for several seconds. If Gaston did the slightest inappropriate thing, he would put a stop to it immediately.

However, his well intentioned efforts were cut short when Ruby spoke from behind. She had just arrived with some young, handsome fellow that she probably just met outside the entrance. It was her idea to come to the ball, and of course Julia had been thrilled at the prospect. He didn't care much for dancing himself, but rather enjoyed how happy it made her.

"Why, William," Ruby said, handing him her gloved hand to kiss, "what ever are you doing? Where is Jules?"

In response he cocked his head in the direction of the odd couple. Ruby followed his line of sight and laughed. "My word! How on earth did _that _arrangement ever come about? Pity, perhaps?"

Murdoch explained briefly.

Ruby shook her head in amusement. "Well, we can't have you standing here so stupidly, now can we?"

So saying she extricated herself from her companion, and proffered her arm to him instead.

"Oh, that's very kind of you Ruby, (_and frankly rude to your friend)_ but it's unnecessary."

He wanted to get back to watching Gaston's behaviour. This was an unwanted distraction.

"Come now, William, I desire to share a dance with my brother-in-law. I'd say it's about time."

"All right," he said glumly, taking her arm.

"My goodness! You would think I was leading you to the gallows by your expression! Am I that offensive to you?"

"No, of course not, Ruby, it's just that I'm a bit distrustful of Julia's current dance partner."

"May I ask why?" she said squinting in Gaston's direction as they twirled. "He's an ugly fellow to be sure but he seems to be comporting himself like a gentleman."

_Why was she asking such a thing?_

Murdoch gave her an annoyed look. "According to Julia, your past experience dancing with older French men proved to be disquieting." Ruby was still looking confused. "You intimated that they are a lecherous bunch."

Ruby laughed. "Jules was pulling your leg, William. The only old man I've ever danced with was my father when I was a child."

There was a bit of an awkward silence. It had only been about half a year since Dr. Ogden had passed away and Ruby hadn't even been able to get there in time for the funeral. He felt it necessary to rectify the situation by changing topics.

"How are your reporting pursuits with Monsieur Méliès going?"

"Poorly I'm afraid. He's a very paranoid sort. Thinks Edison has spies here trying to copy his work. And since I'm as good as American, he thinks I'm their latest tactic to get under his skin."

"I wonder why he would think Thomas Edison would try something like that? It's not as though he lacks for inspiration."

"Like I said, he's a very paranoid sort. I'm going to have to think up something brilliant to gain his trust. Any ideas, William?"

"Well..."

Just then another dancing couple manoeuvred themselves into their vicinity. It was Inspector Guillaume and his wife, Angelique!

"That is not your wife," Guillaume said, in a merry way and Murdoch had a sense of deja vu for some reason.

Introductions were made. "It appears beauty runs in the family."

Ruby smiled politely.

"I am glad to see you have recovered, Monsieur Murdoch. I must admit to feeling guilty about what happened to you."

When there was no mention of Guillaume trying to get in contact with them again for that dinner engagement, he had asked his wife about it and she had confessed she had confronted him. And so the inspector was aware of the situation.

"It was not your fault."

"Still, your wife made me question my own cavalierness. She is a very strong willed woman."

"That she is," he said proudly, trying to find her amongst the crowd but failing.

Guillaume was eyeing Ruby with interest. He looked to his wife who nodded and then the inspector said, "I wonder, Monsieur Murdoch, would you mind trading partners?"

And with little finagling he was now dancing with Angelique, a woman he had barely spoken to four years ago. Needless to say, things were awkward at first...and became even more so when his innocent conversational topic backfired.

***The following conversation takes place in French but I have translated for you.**

"Madame Guillaume, do you by any chance have a profession?"

Angelique gave him an amused look and said, "Why, yes, monsieur, I do. Keeping my husband's appetites well satiated is a full time job. It can be difficult to find enough women."

Murdoch blanched at the nonchalant manner in which she said this. He recovered himself and said, "And that doesn't bother you?"

"Oh no monsieur, not at all. We are cut from the same cloth...our needs are hard to fulfill. In fact, sometimes the women are not enough for him. Sometimes men are also necessary."

She gave him such a look that Murdoch cleared his throat and looked away. "I see."

"You do not approve?"

"It's illegal in Canada."

"This would not be the case if more men partook."

Again she looked at him steadfastly and again he glanced away.

"It's also against my faith."

"How unfortunate. But I'm curious...have you never been tempted?"

Murdoch opened his mouth and closed it again. Then the current waltz ended and he thanked God. People began milling about in between dances, some went to get some refreshment and food, others simply sat down. He wanted to follow suit as his back was beginning to bother him but first he needed to find his wife.

About five minutes later he found Julia, she had also been looking for him and they had probably walked around in circles just missing each other through the masses. He took her hands.

"Did he-"

"Mr. Gaston was a gentleman, William." She smirked. "And a surprisingly gifted dancer for someone his age."

Murdoch released a sigh of relief. "You must allow me to apologize once more-"

"No apology necessary, William, I quite enjoyed myself." She gave him an evil look. "I dare say he's a more accomplished dancer than you. Didn't step on my foot once. I might very well ask for another dance."

He made a face at her and she laughed. "Has my sister arrived yet?" she asked looking around.

"Yes. I'm not sure where she currently is though. The last I saw she was dancing with Inspector Guillaume."

Julia stiffened at his name. "The inspector is here? Of course he is. And of course my sister would be taken by him. She always did have terrible taste in men."

"Now, now, Julia, he has expressed his regret in my assault. I think that is enough."

He gave her a pointed look until she finally broke and said, "Oh, very well. I shall endeavour to receive him more congenially the next time we meet."

"Thank you."

After a sit down of a few minutes another waltz began and he assumed the position.

During the first of several dances she asked him what he had done while she had been occupied. He told her which somehow led to Angelique's question about having any interest in a man.

"Now _I'm_ curious, William," she pushed meanly. "Has any man ever caught your fancy?"

"Has any woman ever caught yours?"

Murdoch expected that to be the end of things but she surprised him when she said, "I believe so, yes, once a long time ago. Before I had met you. She was a lively little thing with flowing red hair. Had a lovely singing voice too."

He gaped at her for a few seconds and then strangely an odd fantasy popped into his head unbidden and it was only ended when she prompted him.

"William?" She was smiling in a knowing manner. "Now that I have come clean you must do me a similar courtesy. Has there ever been a man you harboured a romantic interest for?"

Murdoch cleared his throat, very uncomfortable with the situation. "Romantic, Julia? No, I don't believe so." She seemed disappointed by this revelation so he explained further. "I have however been quite taken with some of my acquaintances. Tesla, Bell...Pendrick...they are all very accomplished men and I can't help but admire and be drawn to that."

And with that, the uncomfortable conversation was at an end and they danced in peace for a time.

About an hour later their attention was drawn towards the great bay windows and the fireworks that were lighting up the darkened sky. Many people made their way outside, including them, to get a better view. The fireworks were more plentiful and resplendent than the last ones he had seen at a certain New Years Eve ball over two years ago. Some drunken men began singing the national anthem, _La Marseillaise_, rather loudly until others told them to be quiet. He was thankful for this as they had heard their fair share of it already that day.

They remained transfixed by the noisy apparitions until Julia became bored and asked if he would like to take a stroll through the ample hedges and garden beneath them. He accepted and they made their way slowly through the labyrinthine structure.

As they rounded a bend, they came across a couple enjoying each others company and he started to divert their course when Julia exclaimed, "Ruby?!"

There was a groan and then Julia's sister poked her head out from around her male companion. Murdoch squinted in the darkness and recognized him to be none other than Guillaume!

_Oh dear. This is going to go very poorly._

"Inspector!" she half shrieked when she too determined who he was. She advanced on them. "Unhand my sister, sir! You are married! For shame!"

Guillaume hesitated for a moment, shared a look with Murdoch and then did as Julia bade.

"Ruby, get over here this instant!"

Ruby stood her ground. "This doesn't concern you, Jules. So why don't you go back to the party and enjoy yourself?"

"Doesn't concern me?! You are _my_ sister and you are conducting yourself in a most infamous manner! In public no less!"

Murdoch thought that was a bit rich coming from her considering what they had done earlier that day, by _her_ instigation, but wisely kept his mouth shut.

"Wouldn't be the first time," Ruby replied sweetly.

"That doesn't make it right!"

Ruby advanced on her sister. Murdoch was waiting for the gunslinging to begin. "I like being a notorious woman. You've known that for years, Jules. So why the sudden indignation over my 'infamous' behaviour?"

Julia bit her lip and then snapped, "It is one thing to hear about such nonsense, it is quite another to witness it! I cannot abide such conduct to occur right in front of my face!"

"Fortunately there is an easy solution to your dilemma. Simply leave."

The men shared a look and waited for another blowout.

Julia glared daggers at her sister but simply said, "I wonder...what would father say about this?" Ruby narrowed her eyes as well. "Would he be proud of his darling angel? Or would he be turning in his grave?"

This wasn't technically even right, if indeed such a thing were possible, as Dr. Ogden had been cremated, but again he wasn't going to correct her.

"You are being very mean, Jules."

"No, I am simply doing my duty as your last remaining caretaker. Heaven knows we've neglected you for far too long, letting you grow wilder and wilder with every passing day. But I intend to put a stop to it now, once and for all, and bring you back to the correct path."

Ruby laughed in a mocking way. "_Correct_ path? And what pray tell is _that_? To settle down like you have done, _twice_? To have _children_?"

_Oh no._

Murdoch braced for a slap that never came. Julia stood there seething with fire in her eyes. Both sisters looked about ready to burst into flame.

Foolish man that he was, he decided to interfere before the hedges caught fire.

"Julia," he said touching her hand, "you can't force your will on your sister. She is an adult and can make her own decisions."

His wife whirled on him. "Are you _really_ going to take her side on this matter?! Is it _really_ so impossible for you to stick by me for _once_ in your life!?"

Murdoch knew she wasn't thinking clearly but even so, he was hurt by her outburst. Something on his face must have registered in the inactive part of her brain and the rage in her eyes dimmed.

"William, I..." she said, glancing away.

"Never mind," he said, squeezing her hand. "You need to leave your sister alone now."

"But-"

"_Julia_."

Without another word, she let herself be led away.


	8. Chapter 8

Julia apologized profusely when more of her senses came back to her. And because her husband was a perfect human being, he accepted her apology just like that and they went on with their night as if nothing had happened. Ironically it served to annoy her that he was so forgiving, so easily.

* * *

The next few days saw them doing more tourist things in Paris. They played around on the moving sidewalk, _le trottoir roulant,_ a curiosity during the world fair that was still in service.*

"Imagine if every street had this in Toronto, William! What fun that would be!"

"I suppose...but the electricity cost would be enormous!"

More than once she almost fell over because she wasn't wearing the right shoes. Thankfully William had been there to steady her every time.

* * *

They finally made it up the Eiffel tower one morning and then again one night. Both had their merits, but Julia preferred the night view. More or less the entire city was lighted and such a sight was breathtakingly beautiful in her eyes. It was like shimmering jewels had encompassed everything, spreading riches at every turn. William had fixed his camera by then and took several pictures of the landscape, in particular the impeccably kept and lengthy Champs de Mars.

He looked at her and smiled. "Come here, Julia. I want to get a photograph of ourselves."

She came and then he positioned her beside him so that their backs were facing outwards. He wrapped one arm around her waist and used the other to hold the camera out at arms length. They smiled and he took a shot of them at one thousand feet with some of Paris on display.

Julia laughed. "It will be interesting to see how that turned out. For all you know, we weren't even in the picture!"

* * *

At the palace of Versailles they spent an entire day exploring the immense grounds and grandiose interior. Julia amused herself quite a bit in the hall of mirrors, pretending to be royalty and ordering William around. He obeyed her for a time and then grabbed her like a neanderthal and carried her off to a vacant kitchen where he had his way with her.

* * *

They rented a row boat and paddled around an isolated lake. Julia smirked at her husband and began disrobing. He quickly followed suit by removing his suit.

When they were in the water she said, "I can't believe it's been over a decade since I last did this at Hanlan's Point! Hopefully this excursion won't follow in the same vein."

"If we _were_ to get arrested, we should at least have a good reason for it."

She snaked herself around his waist. "Indeed, detective, indeed."

* * *

One night they went to _The Moulin Rouge_. Naturally it was her idea. Unnaturally, William didn't seem to balk at the idea. It seemed as though some of his repression had been washed away during their stay here. Whether it would last once they returned home was anyone's guess, but she was hopeful.

At _The Moulin Rouge_ they watched a popular comedic act entitled, _Footit and Chocolat_, in which one white faced clown dominated another black faced one by ordering him to do his bidding. Unsurprisingly this slave clown was not very skilled and often made mistakes. She found it outrageously funny. William only chuckled a few times.

Next some singers came out and sang some sensual French songs to get everyone in the mood for the main attraction, which of course was a titillating dance number performed by the now infamous courtesans. They were all quite attractive younger women, with far too much makeup on. The can-can dance started out slowly, with only slight teasing lifts of legs and skirts and gradually became faster and faster until some men were howling with delight. She watched William after a time and unlike his reaction to the serpentine dance the previous year, he appeared to be getting rather into this. At first this amused her but eventually she became jealous when she noticed one of the women was frequently making eye contact with her husband and he wasn't looking away!

As they were making their way back to the hotel by carriage she said, "You certainly enjoyed yourself in there, William."

"Pardon me?" he said, clearly not paying attention to her, clearly fantasizing about those women, or perhaps just one in particular?

Julia huffed and said no more.

She was still in a bad mood when they were getting dressed for bed and he didn't even attempt to sneak glances at her while she did so.

When they crawled under the covers and he made an advance towards her, she rebuked him. Confused, he said, "What's wrong, Julia?"

"You know very well."

"No, I'm afraid I don't."

She turned around to glare at him. "You and that...(_whore_) courtesan were getting along a little _too_ famously."

He gave her another bewildered look and she rolled around again and huffed.

"Julia, I really don't know what you are talking about."

"You kept staring at her in a most indecent way," she said waspishly.

There was a silence. "She may have been looking at me, but I wasn't looking at her. I was imagining that she was you." Julia stiffened. "You were quite talented by my estimation."

Julia was still annoyed and didn't respond. Then suddenly a sound completely unheard by her thirty-seven year old ears passed across her senses. She was so shocked that she couldn't move a muscle and just lay there listening to the great detective William Murdoch sing! In French!

He was quietly singing one of the more salacious songs from _The Moulin Rouge_, while kissing her bare shoulder in between breaths and the next line. Certainly he wasn't the most talented singer, and she didn't understand some of what he was saying, but he captivated her all the same. If she hadn't been so aroused by this display, she would have gladly let him go on forever. But as it was, she didn't go to bed angry that night.

* * *

On their last day of Paris they headed back to the _Bois de Vincennes_ to bicycle along the ample trails there. At the bicycle rental shop located on the park grounds, there had been women's bicycle trousers on display and Julia promptly snatched them up. She gave William a look to see if he would say anything, he just smiled slightly and before long she was out of her heavy skirts and into delightfully airy trousers.

And what a wonder it was to bicycle freely, without fear of your clothing getting caught in the gears and either being destroyed or causing you to tumble! She could now focus all of her senses on simply enjoying the lush green scenery and keeping up with William. He was so glad to be on a bicycle again that he was prone to bursts of speed without even realizing it.

Two hours later she was exhausted, sweaty, and her hair was coming undone, and he looked like he was just getting started. In any case, she made him stop for a picnic lunch break in a nice shaded area.

Satiated and refreshed, they lay down and gazed up at the somewhat overcast sky. He took her hand and kissed it and they smiled at one another. She was so comfortable that she felt herself dozing off, and she would have if William hadn't spoken.

"Julia," he began somewhat hesitatingly. That was enough to get her attention and she cocked her head in his direction. "This is our last day in Paris."

"Yes, I know that, William," she said with a puzzled expression. "Quite the shame. Time certainly passes by when you're having (_amazing sex_) fun. Far too soon we will be forced to deal with gruesome murders again."

"Yes," he said, with a forced smile. "Julia, we are leaving tomorrow morning. Have you considered speaking with your sister before then?"

"What for?" she said with a frown.

"If you don't make amends now, you may never see her again."

She felt a slight twinge of remorse but shook it off. "Who says I _want_ to, William? She is completely wild and ludicrous! Why would I want to be associated with _that_ if I don't have to be?"

He gave her a sad smile. "Julia, she is your sister and your last remaining family member. I know you don't approve of her lifestyle choices, neither do I, but she has a _right_ to make those choices."

"Says who?"

"Wasn't that the whole point to your Suffragette movement earlier this year?" he said with a pointed look. "That women should be free to vote and choose how they live their lives, rather than have their lives dictated by others?"

Julia rolled her eyes in defeat. "Your logic is infuriating."

He smiled brightly and said, "But not just a little bit winsome?"

He held the smile until she laughed and punched him lightly on the arm.

"It could take some time to track her down," he said in a more serious tone, "you should probably go look for her soon."

And so they packed up their picnic, returned the bicycles but kept the trousers and went in search of Ruby.

* * *

Julia could tell that William was enjoying being a detective again, with freshly purchased homburg in place, as they checked out Ruby's hotel for any signs of her. She was not in and so they asked the concierge if he knew where the filmmaker George Méliès lived. He told them he didn't know so they went to a station house (not run by Guillaume) and received directions there. Méliès was not home but the caretaker directed them to his place of work, the _Théâtre Robert-Houdin_.

A show was currently underway. A moving picture** of a most ridiculous but intriguing nature was playing. A severed head was sitting on a table with a tube contraption under its neck and a bellows attached to that. The head was getting pumped larger and larger by an odd looking man. All the while the head was making silly faces. Suddenly it burst in a cloud of smoke and one of the two men standing there became very angry and bodily threw the culprit out. He proceeded to cry into his white apron and that was the end of the moving picture. Many people clapped.

Julia shared a look with William who had a raised eyebrow.

It appeared Méliès was quite the character. Under different circumstances she was sure she would find his company very entertaining. But she had a duty to fulfill and frivolity was the last thing on her mind.

They approached a man tinkering with the projector. She presumed he was Méliès. He was not. Méliès was in the dark room, working on his latest project. William knocked, there was a curse and then Méliès appeared. He swore profusely for a second until he realized they weren't who he thought they were. Still his demeanour was anything but accommodating.

"What do you want?" he grunted in French.

"Monsieur Méliès, do you by any chance know where my sister, Ruby Ogden is?"

Méliès scowled. "Damn that reporter to hell! I told her to leave me alone once and for all this very morning or I would have her arrested for trespassing! She's a vile little she devil and-

William cleared his throat which put an end to his abuse. It was a good thing too, she might have slapped the man if he continued to carry on like that. Only sisters could speak meanly to one another, not some stranger. "And do you know where she might have gone?" William asked.

"Don't know, don't care. I'm just glad she's gone."

Julia shared a look with her husband as Méliès disappeared back into his dark room.

"We could spend all day looking for her, William. Is that _really_ how you want our last remaining hours in Paris to go?"

"Of course not, Julia, but this is important." He was thoughtful. "I suppose she is bound to return to her hotel tonight."

Julia snorted. "Not necessarily, William. In fact, it is entirely possible that she hasn't slept there since her arrival."

"Julia," he said hesitatingly again, "perhaps Inspector Guill-"

Darkly, "Do not mention that man's name in my presence."

If she couldn't be mad at her sister, she would put the blame on the French man.

"All right. But he may know something of her whereabouts. She may still have an attachment to him."

Julia warred with herself for several moments. "Oh very well," she said sighing, "you may go ask him. But I will not be present when you do."

* * *

"Well?" she enquired afterwards.

William shook his head. "He doesn't know. He hasn't seen her since that night at the ball. And apparently your sister did not go home with him."

"So he says."

"He has no reason to lie."

_I suppose there is a first time for everything._

"Perhaps I got through to her after all?" she said with a slight smile.

William just looked at her. "Perhaps."

* * *

They returned to their hotel room and lo and behold, Ruby was waiting for them! Julia tensed at the sight of her, doing her best to hold back the rampant emotions from four nights ago. The sisters stared at each other, neither making a move. William eyed them warily. Finally Julia spoke.

"Ruby."

"Jules."

Another lengthy silence.

William squeezed her hand giving her courage to go against her nature. "Ruby, we've been looking everywhere for you."

"You have? Why?"

"I imagine for the same reason that you are here." Julia managed to catch her eye. "To apologize."

Ruby burst into tears and flung herself into Julia's arms. Needless to say, The Murdoch's were bewildered.

"Ruby, what on earth? What's happened?"

Her sister didn't respond so Julia prompted her again.

"I've been a fool, Jules! I knew if I carried on like that something would eventually happen...but I didn't care! I deluded myself into believing I was immune! But of course I am not!"

"Good heavens, Ruby! Speak plainly!"

"I am with child," her twenty-seven year old sister whispered sadly into her ear.

Julia's brain froze as she remembered her own traumatic experience out of wedlock when she wasn't much younger. She may often butt heads with her sister but she would never have wished such an outcome for her, however inevitable. Frankly Julia was just glad she hadn't contracted a deadly disease. This could at least be taken care of, if such a thing were desired. And if it were, she was determined to see it done properly. The Ogden line would not be ending with her.

"It's all right, Ruby," she said after a deep breath. She led her sister into their room and sat down across from her, holding her hand. "You're quite sure?"

Ruby nodded.

"Do you at least know who the father is?"

William's head whipped in her direction when she said that aloud.

"No," Ruby said glumly, eyes averted.

"Well, then...what would you like to do about this? Have you thought about it at all?"

William's brow began to furrow as he took in her meaning.

_You forgave me, William. Surely you can do the same for my sister? Foolish girl that she is._

Her sister shook her head and then changed her mind and nodded. "I can't have a child, Jules. I am not up to the task. I can barely take care of myself properly!"

That was definitely true.

"Very well," she said, resolutely, despite her husband's angry glare. "You will come back with us tomorrow and I will ask Isaac to perform the procedure."

"Thank you, Jules," Ruby muttered. "And I'm sorry for ruining your honeymoon."

William didn't speak to her for the rest of the day.

* * *

It wasn't until after they had boarded the steamboat for their week long journey home that he finally acknowledged her presence again.

Fed up with his silence she snapped at him, "Weren't you saying just yesterday that a woman had the right to live her life the way she saw fit?!"

"This is different, Julia. This is murder."

"You forgave _me_, didn't you? So why is this time so different?"

"Because!" he roared, startling her, "You immediately jumped to one solution and one solution alone! Without a second's thought!"

"She doesn't want to have the child, William," she said defiantly. "And even if she did she's not capable of raising it herself. What other solution _could_ there be?"

William clenched his fists momentarily. He steadied himself with a calming breath. "How many times do I need to tell you that we can adopt?"

Comprehension took hold. "Oh you mean-"

"Yes," he said a bit sarcastically, "now you understand why I was so furious with you."

An awkward silence.

"My sister would have to agree to it."

"She will."

Julia's breath hitched. "How can you be so sure?"

"Because," he said staring at her more normally, the merest hint of a smile, "she loves you."

* * *

***I dunno, maybe it was. I'm not really sure.**

****If you're interested to watch The Man with the Rubber Head you can find it on YT. I tried putting the link in here but this fanfiction site doesn't allow that sort of thing. Fun fact: the head is actually that of Méliès himself!**

**Also, I randomly found actual footage of the world fair on YT, so you can check that out too if you want. Just type Paris in 1900- Exposition Universelle**

**Anyway, thanks for reading! I always appreciate it!**


End file.
